Prediction: Arsenal vs Aston Villa

28th January 2012

After three straight Premier League defeats, Arsene Wenger have no choice but to field his strongest line-up against Aston Villa and try to restore the confidence at the Emirates. Boosted by the derby win over Wolverhampton, the Villans will be looking to pour more misery on the Gunners and record what would be their fourth straight victory on the road.

Arsenal needed a lot of time to recover from the dismal start to the season, but once the Gunners finally hit the ground running, they looked practically unstoppable. However, with so many important players on the sidelines, Arsene Wenger’s side were always going to start running on empty at one stage of the season, and it looks the time has come. I really cannot remember the last time Arsenal suffered three straight Premier League defeats, so it is more than clear that the FA Cup clash with Aston Villa will be seen as the game of the season at the Emirates. The Gunners desperately need to restore some of the lost confidence before the Premiership campaign resumes, which is why Arsene Wenger is expected to field his strongest available line-up. Thierry Henry, Mikel Arteta and Bacary Sagna are all rated doubtful, whereas Gervinho, Marouane Chamakh, Jack Wilshire, Kieran Gibbs, Abou Diaby, Carl Jenkinson, Andre Santos and Francis Coquelin are all unavailable.

Following the real rollercoaster ride that was the last season, Aston Villa desperately needed some stability and it looks that is exactly what they got with the arrival of Alex McLeish. Once the controversy regarding his transfer from club’s arch rivals subsided, the experienced manager was able to fully focus on the job ahead and that has produced pretty good results. Given that this is supposed to be a transition season for the Villans, their mid table position is not at all disappointing, especially as the team are playing much better than the results are showing. Alex McLeish’s side appear to have big problems at their Villa Park, where they have just ended the four-match losing run, but three straight victories on the road give them reason for optimism before the trip to London. In all fairness, teams like Bristol Rovers or Wolverhampton cannot be compared to Arsenal, but Villa will, nonetheless, fancy their chances in this clash. Robbie Keane is expected to start up front alongside Darren Bent, whereas Stephen Ireland and Emile Heskey are back in contention.

Conclusion

Arsenal may be going through a rough patch at the moment, but their performance against Manchester United was not that bad at all and the Gunners can be trusted to give their best in this clash. Aston Villa have been doing well on the travels of late, but I just cannot see them getting anything from the Emirates.

Verdict: Home win

Best Odds: 8/13

Bookmaker: William Hill