This clash sees high flying Arsenal visit Villa Park, with three points likely to propel them to the top of the league. Villa will be looking to pick up three points themselves to continue their push this season for european football.
Aston Villa had a storming start to the season, but recent weeks has seen mixed form from the Villains. Martin O neill will hope his highly compact squad can continie performing in the second half of the season – Villa fans will remember their stuttering form from the second half of last season only too well. Scholars of the game point to several new recruits who should mean Villa have that little bit more strength in depth this season, and the form and fitness of the likes of Stewart Downing will be critical in the coming months. James Milner scored and played well again in the cup and if Villa are to get a victory on Wednesday then he will need to hit form once more.
Arsenal so often flatter to deceive, but last weeks victory against Bolton has shown that they may have added a bit of bite to their play. However, their shock 3-1 loss away to Stoke in the FA Cup this weekend will not have cheered the Gunners fans. Fortunately for Arsenal, Fabregas seems to have come back from his spell on the sidelines in top gear and I would expect him to lead from the heart of the team in midweek. Arsenal still have injury problems with Bendtner, Van Persie, Ramsey Nasri and Eboue still out, but with their strength in depth, I fancy Arsenal to sneak a narrow victory here.
Verdict: Arsenal Away Win
Odds: 11/10
Bookmaker: William Hill
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