Football
Arsenal vs Aston Villa Preview: Odds, Tips and Prediction
Kick Off Time: 5.30 pm (UK time) Venue: Emirates Stadium, London SportsBoom previews the Premier League match between Arsenal and Aston Villa at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday, 18th January 2025. Anticipation is at an all-time high for both teams, with the match proving to be crucial both team’s aspirations for the season.
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Declan Rice is challenged by Lucas Digne and Pau Torres//Getty Images
Premier League betting fans are already diving into the odds and assessing both teams, hoping to find the best value. For a detailed, in-depth look at the match, be sure to check out our full preview.
Arsenal vs Aston Villa Preview
Second-placed Arsenal hosts eight-placed Aston Villa in the Premier League on Saturday. Arsenal are eager to get back to winning ways after three winless matches in all competitions that culminated in an exit from the FA cup after penalty shootout against Manchester united last weekend.
On the other hand, Aston Villa are on a two-game winning streak and will be looking to surge upwards on the congested table that has witnessed tight competition for European qualification.
Both teams have claimed important wins in recent matchups, with Arsenal registering three wins compared to Aston Villa’s two. Arsenal will be looking to avenge last season’s two nil loss at home that dented their Premier League title hopes. This season, Arsenal claimed a two nil win at Villa Park in their last clash on August 24th.
Pre-Game Odds and Win Probability: Arsenal Clear Favorites
Arsenal: 51/100 (1.51) - 66.2%
Draw: 91/25 (4.64) – 21.6%
Aston Villa: 289/50 (6.78) – 14.7%
* Odds courtesy of 1Win, subject to change.
Head-to-Head Record
Last Five Meetings (Premier League)
24/08/2024: Aston Villa 0-2 Arsenal
14/04/2024: Arsenal 0-2 Aston Villa
09/12/2023: Aston Villa 1-0 Arsenal
18/02/2023: Aston Villa 2-4 Arsenal
31/08/2022: Arsenal 2-1 Aston Villa
Arsenal Current Form (Premier League) – DWWWD
Following last week’s painful third round FA Cup elimination at the hands of Manchester United and a 2-0 home first leg loss in the EFL Cup against Newcastle United, Arsenal will welcome the return of the Premier League as they look to get back to winning ways.
Last time out Brighton held the Gunners to 1-1 draw at the American Express Stadium, a result that saw Arsenal fail to close the gap on league leaders Liverpool who remain six points ahead with a game in hand.
Mikel Arteta men’s Premier League home form is excellent having registered six wins, three draws and zero losses. The Gunners claimed a hard fought 1-0 win against Ipswich in their last home fixture and will look to claim the victory in front of their adoring fans.
This fixture has been entertaining in recent years, with both teams claiming home and away victories although Arsenal have one more win with a record of three wins to Aston Villa’s two.
Earlier in the season, Arsenal fought hard to claim a 2 nil away win at Villa Park and they will be looking to do the double with another victory at the Emirates, but only after Aston Villa did the double over them last season.
Martin Odegaard and Youri Tielemans//Getty Images
Key Players to Watch
- Martin Odegaard: Martin Odegaard has been one of the best Premier League midfielders over the last couple of seasons. His return from injury coincided with Arsenal’s return to form and after missing a crucial regular time penalty that would have sent them in the FA Cup, the Gunners skipper will be looking to right his mistake against the Villains.
- Kai Havertz: Kai Havertz will be the main goal threat for the Gunners, who are dealing with the injury of star Bukayo Saka. The German who is the club’s top scorer, can be at times wasteful but his knack of scoring crucial goals makes him a man to watch.
- Gabriel Magalhães: The Brazilian defender has been an important leader for the Gunners backline which is among the best in the Premier League. Gabriel is a massive threat in the opposition’s box, especially on set pieces and corner kicks while, stifling attacks for Arsenal on the other side.
Arsenal Team News
Bukayo Saka and Ethan Nwaneri are both missing for this match, while Ben White is also highly likely to miss out. Raheem Sterling and Takehiro Tomiyasu should both be back in action by then, if not earlier.
Aston Villa Current Form (Premier League) – WDLWL
Aston Villa’s form has not been flawless in recent weeks after losing away to fellow European football contenders, Newcastle United, three-nil and Nottingham Forest 2-1 while drawing against Brighton 2-2 at home. However, they overcame Manchester City 2-1 at home and triumphed in their 2025 bow against Leicester City 2-1.
Last weekend, Aston Villa came from behind to beat West Ham in the FA Cup third round 2-1 after failing to register a single shot in the first half of the contest. Unai Emery’s men will need to be prolific if they are to achieve European football qualification, especially with added competition this season.
Emery will look to dent Arsenal’s title charge for a second time after last season’s 2-0 victory at his former employer’s home. Injuries have had toll on Unai’s squad but things are looking up with qualification to the knockout phase of the Champions League almost in sight and a Premier League resurgence on the cards.
The Gunners have become known as perennial bottlers and their former manager is only too happy to inflict more pain on the supporters, who once abused him on the regular.
Key Players to Watch
- Morgan Rogers: Morgan Rogers has had a breakout campaign in his first full season with Aston Villa. The England international was a thorn in their loss against Arsenal earlier in the season. Rogers physical play and nimble dribbling will be a sight to watch.
- Tyrone Mings: Tyrone Mings final returned from a lengthy injury layoff and with Pau Torres likely to miss the trip to London, his experience will be vital if they are to shutout Arsenal’s talented attack and claim another famous scalp.
- Emiliano Martinez: miliano Martinez has had a remarkable career since joining Aston Villa from Arsenal five years ago. Although the Argentine stopper has tallied only two clean sheets this season, his save percentage of 60% is good. Martinez will need to provide another inspirational performance against his former employers if they are to claim a positive result.
Aston Villa Team News
John McGinn is out until next month, while Pau Torres is unlikely to be ready for the Emirates trip. Diego Carlos should be well back in action, however.
Predicted Line-Ups
Arsenal: 4-3-3
Raya; Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko; Merino, Rice, Odegaard; Jesus, Havertz, Martinelli.
Aston Villa: 4-2-3-1
Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Mings, Digne; Kamara, Onana; Bailey, Tielemans, Rogers; Watkins
Suggested Bets
If you love betting on the Premier League, here are some bets you can place at some of the top football sportsbooks.
Arsenal to Win: This season, Arsenal are unbeaten at home, and are looking to keep pace with league leaders, Liverpool, if they are to end their title drought by the end of the season. (51/100 with 1Win) (51/100 with 1XBet).
Both Teams to Score (BTTS) – Yes: Both teams are suffering key injuries in the defense and they the attack for both teams have adequate firepower to score goals (17/20 with 1Win).
Over 2.5 goals: Arsenal has a potent attacking lineup while Aston Villa’s ability to score is impressive. Therefore, this is likely to be a high-scoring game. (53/100 with Sportsbet.io)
Value Bets
Gabriel Martinelli- Anytime Goal scorer: Martinelli’s return to form has been significant, particularly with the injury of Bukayo Saka. (8/5 with Sportbet.io).
Ollie Watkins- Anytime Goal scorer: This season, Watkins has played 20 matches and has scored eight goals so far, hence as a top scorer, he might score a goal for Aston Villa in this match (41/20 with Sportsbet.io).
Double Chance in First Half- Arsenal or Aston Villa: Both teams have demonstrated attacking prowess, hence, there is a high chance that either teams will be leading by end of first half. (27/50 with Sportsbet.io)
Prediction: Arsenal to Win and Both Teams to Score (Yes)
Arsenal’s home advantage and upper hand performance gives them an edge to win this match. This team has been showing dominance in home matches and the execration is that there will be no difference in this particular game. Also, it is expected that both teams will make goals owing to their notable attacking capabilities.
Ian Mugo Wanyeki is based in Nairobi, Kenya. He is a sports enthusiast with vast knowledge of different sport disciplines. Ian is a graduate with a Bachelor’s of Science degree from Kenyatta University. He is a Kenyan journalist who’s worked as a sports analyst at Covenant Television Network, as a sports reporter at NTV and as a Sports Correspondent/contributor at Quartz Africa.
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