Just one point separates Arsenal and Aston Villa in the Premier League table as the two sides prepare to go head-to-head at the Emirates Stadium on Friday night.
Following back-to-back defeats, Aston Villa find themselves thirteenth – seven points clear of the bottom three.
#OnThisDay in 𝟮𝟬𝟭𝟵, @MattyTargett sent Villa Park into raptures. 💥 pic.twitter.com/KaoLojUN8y— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) October 19, 2021
#OnThisDay in 𝟮𝟬𝟭𝟵, @MattyTargett sent Villa Park into raptures. 💥 pic.twitter.com/KaoLojUN8y
Arsenal, meanwhile, head into Friday’s clash on the back of successive draws and sit twelfth in the standings – four points outside the top four.
The Gunners extended their unbeaten streak to six games in all competitions after snatching a last-grasp draw against Crystal Palace on Monday.
Despite recording 17 shots – six of which were on target – Mikel Arteta’s men were forced to come from behind to rescue a 2-2 draw with the Eagles.
It’s fair to say that Arsenal have been wildly inconsistent so far this term, having registered three wins, two draws and three losses in the Premier League.
It is also worth noting that only three teams – Southampton, Burnley and Norwich – have netted fewer goals than the Gunners.
Still, Arteta’s men can take confidence from the fact that they have scored at least two goals in each of their past three home matches.
Aston Villa, on the other hand, appeared to be heading towards a comfortable victory over Wolves last weekend.
Dean Smith’s side were leading 2-0 on 80 minutes but ended up conceding three late goals and losing 3-2 to their West Midlands rivals.
Villa have now lost four of their eight league outings this season, picking up three wins and a draw along the way.
They are also conceding an average of 1.5 goals per game in their away matches this term, so they clearly need to tighten things up at the back.
Head-to-head: Aston Villa have won each of their last three Premier League meetings with Arsenal without conceding a single goal.
It is also worth noting that nine of the previous 12 meetings between Arsenal and Villa have produced over 2.5 goals, meaning we should see plenty of goals on Friday.
Team news: Granit Xhaka remains unavailable for Arsenal due to a knee injury, while Bukayo Saka is a doubt after coming off at half-time on Monday.
As for Aston Villa, Trezeguet is sidelined with a knee problem, while Leon Bailey, Matty Cash, Keinan Davis and Bertrand Traore are doubts.
Although Villa have enjoyed great successes against Arsenal in recent times, the Gunners are expected to flex their muscles this time around.
Forbet predicts that over 2.5 goals will be scored on Friday night, with Arsenal coming out on top.