Quantcast
Home   >   Features   >   Betting preview: Arsenal favourites to cement top spot with win over Villa

Betting preview: Arsenal favourites to cement top spot with win over Villa

By on April 12, 2024

Bukayo Saka Leandro Trossard Kai Havertz Arsenal

Arsenal welcome Aston Villa to the Emirates Stadium on Sunday afternoon needing a win to tighten their grip at the top of the Premier League table.

The Gunners have been in formidable form since the turn of the year having taken 31 points from a possible 33 in the league. The only dropped points in 2024 came with a 0-0 draw away to defending champions Manchester City, so it’s safe to say Arsenal are one of the most in-form teams in Europe right now.

Last weekend, the North Londoners moved top of the table with an impressive 3-0 victory over Brighton at the Amex Stadium. Goals from Bukayo Saka, Kai Havertz and Leandro Trossard sealed a superb win for Arsenal that temporarily took them above Liverpool to the summit.

The Merseysiders had the chance to restore their two-point advantage with a win over Manchester United last Sunday. However, Liverpool could only manage a point at Old Trafford following a 2-2 draw, so they now sit second on goal difference from the Gunners with seven games remaining.

Man City could go top with a win over Luton on Saturday while Liverpool are expected to beat Crystal Palace at Anfield on Sunday to regain first place. The pressure would then be on Arsenal to respond as they play last out of the three title challengers. However, Arsenal boast a far better goal difference compared to their title rivals, so a win at home to Aston Villa should guarantee they remain top after this weekend.

Mikel Arteta’s men head into the game off the back of a 2-2 draw with Bayern Munich in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final. It was a frustrating result for the Gunners as they threw away an early lead and gifted Bayern two soft goals, so they’ll be looking to get back to winning ways against Villa.

However, that won’t be an easy task as the Villains have been doing well this season. They currently sit fifth after drawing 3-3 at home with Brentford last weekend so they will want a positive result to help boost their Champions League qualification hopes.

Betting odds

Arsenal are the 2/9 favourites to win the game with betting sites like https://melbetsomalia.com/en offering odds of 15/2 on a Villa victory. The draw can be backed at 4/1 if you think the points will be shared on Sunday.

Over 2.5 match goals is a solid bet at odds of 2/5 as we’re expecting plenty of goalmouth action at the Emirates. Both teams to score is tempting at odds of 4/5 as there is lots of dangerous attackers on display for both teams.

Trossard has been in good goal-scoring form recently and he’s 7/5 to get on the scoresheet at any time in this game.

Arsenal are likely to win it at the Emirates and a 2-1 Gunners victory looks good at odds of 13/2.

Team news

Arsenal have virtually a fully fit squad to choose from. Jurrien Timber has been back in full training recently after recovering from a knee injury. However, he needs to build up his match fitness with a game for the U23’s before he’ll be available for first team selection.

Gabriel Magalhaes missed training this week after picking up a knock versus Bayern so he’ll need to be assessed ahead of the Villa game. Otherwise, Arteta has a full squad to choose from and he could opt to make some changes with the likes of Oleksandr Zinchenko, Thomas Partey and Gabriel Jesus pushing for recalls.

As for Villa, they’ll be without Douglas Luiz as he’s suspended while Clement Lenglet faces a late fitness test. Boubacar Kamara due to a knee injury while Emi Buendia, Tyrone Mings, Jacob Ramsey and Matty Cash are all ruled out.

Predicted score

With Man City and Liverpool both facing very winnable home games before Arsenal play, the chances are the Gunners will be down in third by the time they kick-off at 4.30pm on Sunday afternoon. Therefore, they’ll be under pressure to respond with a win of their own to regain top spot.

Arteta will have been slightly disappointed with the draw against Bayern, particularly as the defence let in two sloppy goals, so the Spaniard will be demanding a solid display from his team this weekend.

Villa are a dangerous side who boast plenty of talented players, so Arsenal will need to be on top form if they want to win. We’re backing the Gunners to edge it at home to maintain their excellent form. Arsenal 2-1 Aston Villa – which can be backed at odds of 13/2.