Aston Villa vs. Arsenal Prediction: Huge Premier League Game This Weekend

• Aston Villa beat Arsenal twice in the 2023/24 Premier League season

• Both teams were victorious on gameweek one and are seeking a second win

• Arsenal are the favorites but Aston Villa are a top team these days

Aston Villa vs. Arsenal Odds

Odds for Aston Villa vs. Arsenal are provided by bet365 Sportsbook. Sign up at bet365 with our promo code WSN365 for a $1000 safety net bet or $150 in bonus bets.

Aston Villa vs. Arsenal Pick

Back Aston Villa or draw in the double chance market. Unai Emery’s side can avoid defeat by Arsenal this weekend.

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Aston Villa vs. Arsenal Prediction

Arsenal Out to Avenge Fatal Defeats by Aston Villa Last Season

Arsenal are desperate to get their hands on the Premier League trophy once more. The last time they did so was in 2003/04 when Arsene Wenger’s brilliant side went the entire season unbeaten on their way to glory. Arsenal amassed 90 points in that title-winning campaign - just one more than they collected in 2023/24.

Yet last season, that haul of 89 points was not sufficient for Arsenal to be crowned champions of England. Manchester City picked up 90, making them kings of the country for a fourth year on the bounce. Arsenal had to make do with another runners-up spot. Mikel Arteta and his players are now aiming to finally get over the line this term.

Arsenal got their challenge off to a positive start with a routine 2-0 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers, as goals from Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka got their first three points on the board. None of the 11 players that started the game were new arrivals over the summer and Arsenal fans are hoping for more movement in the next couple of weeks. 

Yet even if they end the transfer window with Riccardo Calafiori as their sole acquisition, Arsenal look ready to compete for the championship crown once more. The best online sportsbooks agree, rating Arteta’s team as second-favorites behind Manchester City.

Saturday’s showdown with Aston Villa is a tricky early test, however. Arsenal lost both games to Villa last term, which means Unai Emery’s side played an instrumental part in their failure to win the title. Had just one of those games ended in a draw, Arsenal would have won the title on goal difference. Small margins indeed.

Given their significance, those losses at Villa Park and the Emirates Stadium will no doubt be on the minds of Arsenal’s players this weekend. 

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Aston Villa Determined to Show They Are Not Going Anywhere

There is a commonly held view that Aston Villa will not be able to replicate last season’s fourth-place finish this time around. That is in part because a number of big teams underperformed in 2023/24; indeed, Chelsea, Manchester United, and Newcastle United are all aiming to be better this term.

It is also because Villa will be taking part in the Champions League this season. There is an expanded first phase of that tournament too, so they will play a minimum of eight games rather than six. That will place fresh demands on Villa, many of whose players have not played in Europe’s principal tournament before.

Yet it would be unwise to write Villa off entirely. They deserved to finish among the division’s leading quartet last time out and, despite the loss of Douglas Luiz and Moussa Diaby, they have been active in the transfer market this summer. Moreover, it was not as if they are strangers from continental competition, having reached the semi-finals of the Europa Conference League last term.

Villa showed why they are still a team to watch this season in gameweek one. Facing a West Ham United team full of pre-season optimism after a busy summer of transfer activity, Villa ran out 2-1 winners at the London Stadium to get off the mark at the earliest opportunity. 

Emery’s spell at Arsenal did not go to plan, but he has demonstrated in his current job why he is still a top-class coach. The Gunners will not want to see their former manager celebrating at the end of this one.

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Arsenal May Struggle to Pick up All Three Points in This Game

At one point last season, Aston Villa strung together 15 consecutive home wins. Villa Park was a real fortress that visiting sides did not enjoy going to. 

Their home form tailed off after the turn of the year, though, and Emery will be determined for Villa to get back to their best in front of their own supporters.

Arteta has made Arsenal one of the best teams in Europe and they go into virtually every match with the intention of winning. From the perspective of a neutral looking in, however, a draw would not be a bad result for Arsenal here. That might mean them falling behind Manchester City already, but it is too early to be concerned with the league table.

Villa will look to make a fast start in the late kick-off on Saturday, roared on by their passionate fans. Arsenal will likely have to deal with some ferocious pressure in the early stages, but this team is experienced enough to come out the other end.

Even so, Villa look overpriced here. It is a big call to tip the home team to win, but the odds in the double chance market are attractive. Go for an Aston Villa victory or a draw in what is by some distance the standout fixture of the upcoming Premier League weekend.

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How to Watch Aston Villa vs. Arsenal

• Teams: Aston Villa vs Arsenal

• Location: Villa Park, Birmingham, England

• Date and Time: Saturday, 24 August 2024, 12.30 PM ET 

• How to Watch: USA Network