Verdict: Under 3.5 goals

Best Odds: 4/9

Bookmaker: Dachbet

With all eyes fixed on the Midlands this weekend, Aston Villa and Arsenal will meet at Villa Park on Saturday evening.

Aston Villa

Starting with the hosts, making real history last season as they secured a famous Champions League ticket, Aston Villa received a string of plaudits from across the continent. Despite signing off their summer preparations with a 2-0 defeat at the hands of German giants Borussia Dortmund, Unai Emery’s men laid down an early marker last weekend. Clinching an impressive 2-1 victory away at West Ham, Villa will certainly be relishing a return to the Midlands on Saturday evening. While the Villains might be bracing themselves for a heavyweight challenge here, Emery will be excited by an eye-catching record against his former employers. Including a sensational 2-0 victory when they travelled to the Emirates back on April 14th, they won back-to-back meetings against Arsenal last season by an aggregate score of 3-0.

Team News

Both still dealing with respective knee injuries continuing on from last season, the duo of Boubacar Kamara and England international Tyrone Mings will not feature here. Still linked with a summer move away from Villa Park, former Sevilla defender Diego Carlos is not expected to play any part this weekend.

While Jhon Duran might have come off the bench and bagged a late winner away at West Ham last week, Ollie Watkins will lead Emery’s attack. Summer recruit Amadou Onana will partner Youri Tielemans in the middle of the park.

Arsenal

As for the visitors, while Arsenal might have once again fallen short last season in the race to claim a first Premier League crown since 2004, the Gunners appear well-placed to mount another title charge this time around. Opening the new campaign with a routine 2-0 victory at home against Wolves last weekend, Mikel Arteta’s young squad will be looking to make a real statement here. Winning all of their final six Premier League appearances last season, Arsenal also gained a reputation for their success away from north London. Along with winning all of their final four top-flight showdown away from the Emirates by an aggregate score of 7-2, Saturday’s guests also collected 25 points from their last nine Premier League appearances on the road.

Team News

Still dealing with a knee injury continuing on from last season, Japan international Takehiro Tomiyasu will not feature on Saturday evening. Spending last season on loan at Spanish outfit Real Sociedad, Scottish defender Kieran Tierney is not expected to travel to the Midlands this weekend.

Opening his Premier League account against Wolves last week, former Chelsea star Kai Havertz will spearhead Arteta’s charge in the final third. Arriving from Bologna this summer, 22-year-old Riccardo Calafiori will be hoping to make his Arsenal debut here.

Key Factors to Consider

• When Aston Villa and Arsenal last met back on April 14th, Emery’s side collected a stellar 2-0 victory at the Emirates.
• Likewise, Villa won their two Premier League showdowns against the Gunners by an aggregate score of 3-0.
• Continuing on from last season, Arsenal have won all of their previous seven Premier League appearances.
• Aston Villa won just a trio of their final nine Premier League appearances on home soil last season.
• The Gunners conceded just a single goal in any of their final eight Premier League away fixtures last season.

Conclusion

While Arsenal might be looking to lay down an early marker here, the Gunners will be concerned by a downbeat record against Saturday’s hosts. Losing their back-to-back showdowns against Aston Villa last season by an aggregate score of 3-0, Arteta’s squad should face a rugged test this weekend. It should be noted, with nine of the previous 10 meetings between Saturday’s opponents in the Midlands finish with under 3.5 goals, we are expecting a similar outcome here.

Verdict: Under 3.5 goals

Best Odds: 4/9

Bookmaker: Dachbet