Aston Villa v Arsenal Betting Markets
Will there be a Monday night massacre when Arsenal travel to Villa Park? The latest Premier League odds suggest that the Gunners have a 65% chance of landing a success against beleaguered opponents. Early evidence is that the champions might be even better than last season. They've recruited well and that includes Christos Tzolis who helped his new team win the Community Shield before another success against Coventry by a 3-0 scoreline.
Martin Odegaard and Miles Lewis-Skelly were also stand out against the Sky Blues, with many punters likely to back the 1.53 that the visitors get the job done. Arsenal were able to record eleven wins in their nineteen road trips last term, with that rock solid defence looking hard to penetrate and there are enough attacking options for there to be problems for the Villans.
Aston Villa were able to claim twelve victories in the space of nineteen games at Villa Park last term. It's hard to believe that they can replicate this effort which ultimately saw the Midlands club finish fourth in the standings. Unai Emery might well make them competitive again on home soil although their current situation means being a few weeks away from laying a glove on opposition of this calibre.
There's no way that the Villans would have been anything like odds of 6.25 this time last season when they were lining up against Arsenal. Indeed, when the sides met at Villa Park in early December, Emery masterminded a victory where Emi Buendia was able to fire a late winner. Unfortunately, the Argentine is currently the only player carrying a scoring threat.
It could be attack versus defence for much of the encounter, with Villa aiming to try and get a draw which would represent a foothold for the new season. However, the away win is venturing into banker material territory.
Goals Under/Over
The Over 2.5 Goals odds are slightly shorter than Under 2.5 Goals. The former is trading at 1.80 and both Arsenal and Aston Villa's opening matches saw the tally go over the 2.5 line. The Gunners scored three times against Coventry without really getting out of second gear, while the Villans found themselves 4-0 down very quickly which pretty much meant the result was sorted at an early juncture.
The last three clashes between these sides have also yielded Over 2.5 Goals, with Arsenal enjoying a 4-1 victory over the same opponents at the Emirates at the end of December. That came after a 2-1 success for the Villans. Previously to this, the players played out a 2-2 draw and we can see this being an entertaining clash.
Perhaps Villa will take an approach where they put players behind the ball and we know for certain that the Gunners are hard to score against. Perhaps Under 2.5 Goals is therefore the value bet.
BTTS
According to the Premier League betting sites, there isn't anything between the BTTS Yes and BTTS No odds. The argument for the latter is that Arsenal could well keep a clean sheet at Villa Park. It might be a game too early for Ezri Konsa to make his debut against a former club, with Cristhian Mosquera likely to partner Gabriel, while Ben White and Riccardo Calafiori are roving full-backs who look sound defensively.
There's an argument for betting Arsenal to win and BTTS No. You can get an odds-against quote that this happens and it will be interesting to see if the Villans can create meaningful chances. They'll be without the suspended Joao Gomes and it remains to be seen whether Buendia can have any impact along with Ross Barkley and captain John McGinn.
Arsenal will be confident of finding the net, with Pau Torres and Victor Lindelof both struggling in the centre of defence last time out. Marco Bizot could well struggle between the sticks and it might be one-way traffic, especially if the visitors get their noses in front. We think the BTTS No option is probably the best way to play this.
First Goalscorer
We can anticipate that Kai Havertz will continue in the centre forward position for Arsenal and the German broke the deadlock against Coventry. He's going to carry a threat against a weak Villa rearguard, although Christos Tzolis might be the player to back. The Greek is operating dangerously on the left wing and is clearly determined to cut in and get shots away on goal.
On the other flank, we know all about Bukayo Saka's prowess on the right and the England man was able to get on the scoresheet against the Sky Blues. The same applies to Martin Odegaard who can rove dangerously in the attacking midfield position. He was able to get on the scoresheet in the Community Shield and could be worth a look when it comes to anytime.
We know that the defenders can all score for Arsenal and perhaps it's Calafiori who is the value wager considering how far forward he gets in the game. Gabriel will eventually find the net from a free-kick or corner, with the best chance of a Villa goal likely to come from Emi Buendia. The Argentine will look to try and find a rare opportunity against this Arsenal defence.