Arsenal vs Aston Villa betting prediction, Premier League picks & EPL bets
Arsenal vs Aston Villa Betting Picks
The last team to beat Arsenal in the Premier League at the Emirates Stadium was Aston Villa and the Gunners will need to be wary their old manager Unai Emery doesn't come back to haunt them once more on Saturday (12.30pm ET, Fubo Sports).
After back-to-back cup losses to Newcastle and Manchester United, the Gunners delivered a much-needed win against London rivals Tottenham on Wednesday evening.
Mikel Arteta's side will hope to build on the momentum gained from beating Spurs when they face Aston Villa as they bid to keep pace with league leaders Liverpool.
Arsenal are a best price of +333 on betting sites to win the title but can't afford to drop points in many more matches, particularly at home, if they are to overhaul Liverpool's advantage.
Victory at home to Villa is, therefore, a must, and soccer betting sites make the home side favorites.
Villa have had their issues on the road this season, losing half of their away games, although they did claim a 1-0 victory at Everton on Wednesday night.
Emery's charges have also had some success against Arsenal, winning two of the last three meetings, and it's not easy to separate two teams that finished in the top four last season.
Arsenal vs Aston Villa Betting Preview: Goals Hard to Find
Villa were a massive thorn in Arsenal's side last season, doing the double over the Gunners, including a 2-0 win at the Emirates Stadium last April which really dented their title prospects.
A repeat of the 2-0 success they enjoyed the last time they visited this part of north London would once again hurt the home side's championship chances, particularly if Liverpool can beat Brentford earlier in the day to go seven points clear of Arsenal before they kick-off against Villa.
Alberta betting sites might be heavily favoring Arsenal, but it might be asking a lot for them to go again in so soon after a huge derby win in what will their sixth game in the space of 18 days.
Arteta is short on options to freshen up his team too with Gabriel Jesus, Bukayo Saka, Ben White, Ethan Nwaneri and Riccardo Calafiori all unavailable through injury.
Villa's roster should be more rested than Arsenal's and a bit healthier, but they are missing key players John McGinn and Pau Torres, and haven't always coped well playing twice in a week this season.
Perhaps it's better to sidestep the result market on betting apps and look instead at goals, which have been a problem for Arsenal. They've created chances aplenty in recent outings but failed to convert with striker Kai Havertz picking a bad time to go cold in front of goal.
What Arsenal would give to have strikers of the quality of Villa duo Ollie Watkins and Jhon Duran. Not that having them in the team has always led to goals for a Villans outfit that's failed to score in four of the last seven road games in all competitions.
The Gunners don't give much away at home defensively and at the end of a busy week for both teams, there's a possibility goalscoring chances are at a premium in a meeting of two fatigue sides at the Emirates.
Arsenal vs Aston Villa pick 1: Under 2.5 goals (+101 Parimatch)
Arsenal vs Aston Villa Betting Prediction: Rice Can't Afford to Boil Over
Whether you believe in conspiracy theories or not, it's worth noting that Arsenal's Declan Rice has received five EPL yellow cards this season, three of them shown to him by referee Chris Kavanagh.
Kavanagh and Rice will cross paths once again on Saturday with Kavanagh officiating the game and he's unlikely to get a warm welcome from the majority of fans at the Emirates Stadium after sending off Rice back in August.
Rice received two yellow cards in the 1-1 draw with Brighton on that occasion and was then booked again by Kavanagh when he officiated the Gunners' tie with Fulham in December.
The energetic midfielder is also no stranger to a card when facing Aston Villa. Since moving to Arsenal from West Ham, Rice has been cautioned in two of his three appearances against the Villans, including in the reverse fixture in August.
Rice's odds to receive a card fluctuate between established and new betting sites alike, but he's +350 on Betway.
The England international is likely to be in the thick of the action and no one has more yellow cards in the league than him for Arsenal this season. Kavanagh's assignment to the game adds to the argument to consider Rice as a prop bet option in the card market.
Arsenal vs Aston Villa pick 2: Declan Rice to be carded (+350 Betway)
