There are just three Premier League games taking place this weekend. The sole clash on Saturday sees Aston Villa welcome Arsenal to Villa Park.
Despite losing to Liverpool in midweek, the Gunners remain in fourth place – one point clear of Manchester United with two games in hand. Meanwhile, the Villains find themselves in ninth place – two points inside the top half and 15 points behind Arsenal.
Following an indifferent start to the season under Dean Smith, Aston Villa appear to be heading in the right direction with Steven Gerrard at the helm. Since Gerrard’s appointment in November, the Villains have registered eight wins, two draws and eight losses across all competitions.
More recently, Villa have lost just three of their previous nine Premier League games – securing four wins and two draws in the process. Having secured three straight victories without conceding a goal before losing West Ham last weekend, the Villains will be confident of frustrating Arsenal on Saturday.
On the flip side, Arsenal were beaten 2-0 by Liverpool on Wednesday. They were by no means blown away by Jurgen Klopp’s side, but there was a clear gulf between the teams. Still, it is worth noting that Arsenal racked up five straight Premier League wins before the visit of Liverpool.
It is also worth pointing out that Mikel Arteta’s men have lost just one of their last seven league outings and have kept three clean sheets in that time. When you look at the bigger picture, the Gunners have suffered only two defeats in their previous 12 Premier League clashes – picking up nine wins along the way.
Head-to-Head: In the reverse fixture back in October, Arsenal claimed a 3-1 victory over Aston Villa at the Emirates Stadium. However, it is worth noting that Villa have won three of their previous four Premier League meetings with the Gunners.
Team News: Aston Villa will be without the injured Marvelous Nakamba on Saturday. There are also doubts about Lucas Digne, Douglas Luiz and Calum Chambers.
As for the Gunners, right-back Takehiro Tomiyasu remains on the sidelines as he continues to recover from injury.
I FANCY BOTH TEAMS TO SCORE
