Aston Villa v Arsenal predictions

Where to watch

BT Sport 1, 12.30pm Saturday

Best bet

Both teams to score
1pt 17-20 Hills

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Team news

Aston Villa
Diego Carlos and Jed Steer are not ready to return while Tyrone Mings and Bertrand Traore are doubts.

Arsenal
Gabriel Jesus and Mohamed Elneny are sidelined, Thomas Partey and Emile Smith Rowe are doubts.

Match preview

Title-chasing Arsenal need a response after losing 3-1 to Manchester City on Wednesday but their defence is not as reliable as it was earlier in the season and a lack of solidity could contribute to a high-scoring outcome when they take on Aston Villa at Villa Park.

Losing to City was a major blow but it would turn into a much bigger deal if the Gunners are unable to respond with a victory.

The short turnaround of less than three days is a challenge for Arsenal, who were understandably disappointed with their midweek performance.

Mistakes have crept into Arsenal's game and they made two bad errors against City, when Takehiro Tomiyasu's poor back pass and Gabriel's loss of possession offered up opportunities which their opponents were in no mood to waste.

The result extended Arsenal's winless run to four and their sequence without a clean sheet to five and they will be tested by the Villans, who have scored 13 goals in their last six home fixtures.

Villa have been a tough team to read during Unai Emery's first four months in charge.

They have had some impressive results, winning 3-1 at home to Manchester United and 2-0 at Tottenham, but have thrown in some poor performances such as their 2-1 defeat at home to Stevenage in the FA Cup and a 4-2 loss to Leicester a fortnight ago.

However, it is worth remembering that Emery inherited a side positioned three points above the drop zone and has taken them to a comfortable mid-table position.

Emery will be eager to put his mark on the squad with some summer signings and a full pre-season, but his team will be judged from game to game and he will want to see an improvement after back-to-back defeats.

The 51-year-old has earned a reputation as a tactically astute coach and showed off those skills when leading Villarreal to Europa League glory in 2020-21.

Emery got the better of Mikel Arteta in the 2021 semi-final against Arsenal, steering Villarreal to a 2-1 aggregate success, but his Villa side are a work in progress and may lack the defensive nous to keep Arsenal at bay.

If Arsenal can get close to their best they will be tough to stop but given the unknown mental and physical toll of their midweek exertions, they look a short price at odds-on.

The destiny of the three points looks uncertain but there is a fair chance both teams will continue to struggle in defence, allowing fans to enjoy a high-scoring game.

Key stat

Both teams have scored in five of Aston Villa's last six matches

Probable teams

Aston Villa (4-4-2): Martinez; Young, Konsa, Chambers, Digne; Ramsey, Kamara, Luiz, Buendia; Bailey, Watkins.
Subs: Sinisalo, Cash, McGinn, Moreno, Duran, Coutinho, Dendoncker, Zych, Swinkels, Mings.

Arsenal (4-3-3): Ramsdale; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko; Odegaard, Jorginho, Xhaka; Saka, Nketiah, Martinelli.
Subs: Turner, Vieira, Trossard, Kiwior, Holding, Tomiyasu, Cozier-Duberry, Tierney, Partey.