- 1 Aston Villa vs Arsenal: four conceded at one end, none at the other
- 2 Aston Villa: the worst goal difference in the league and a full treatment room
- 3 Arsenal: three different scorers and a defence to rebuild
- 4 Premier League prediction Aston Villa vs Arsenal
- 5 First, a word on our free tips
- 6 No commitment from us
- 7 Information can change
- 8 Your responsibility
- 9 Responsible gambling comes first
- 10 Legal age
- 11 About the images…
Aston Villa vs Arsenal: four conceded at one end, none at the other 
Aston Villa shipped four goals on the opening weekend of the Premier League, going down on 23 August at Brighton. No other side in the division took such a beating in round one.
Arsenal produced the opposite kind of performance on 21 August against newly promoted Coventry City, winning 3-0 without conceding. Kai Havertz, Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard all got on the scoresheet.
So the schedule throws 20th against 2nd on Monday 31 August at 21:00 at Villa Park. There are only three points between the clubs after one game, but goal difference has already opened up a seven-point gap in the table.
This second round arrives with squads in very different shape. Villa have six players out, while Arsenal have two missing and one doubtful.
The Ollie Watkins situation is hanging over Villa’s build-up too. Unai Emery has hinted that his striker does not want to play, with talks with Al-Hilal confirmed.
Arsenal arrive as reigning champions, but without William Saliba and Jurrien Timber at centre-back. That gap in the heart of the defence is the big question for the Gunners.
Villa Park is still a tricky place to go, which gives this match real interest despite the table. The ground has often been a test for title hopefuls.
So the key issue is simple: can Villa offer enough going forward without several of their main men? That is where the prediction rests.
Aston Villa: the worst goal difference in the league and a full treatment room 
The 0-4 loss at Brighton was the heaviest hiding of the opening round. A Victor Lindelof own goal in the 8th minute set the tone.
Maxim De Cuyper made it 2-0 in the 18th minute, before Jack Hinshelwood struck twice in quick succession, in the 30th and 31st. Villa had conceded four goals in 33 minutes.
No goals scored, four conceded: that minus-four goal difference is the worst in the Premier League after one round. The table naturally leaves the Villans down in 20th.
The issue is not just one bad defensive afternoon. The back line cracked in different ways, first under aerial pressure and then in transition, which makes the fix harder.
The injury list does not help the expected response on Monday. Tammy Abraham, Leon Bailey, Amadou Onana, Johan Manzambi and Brian Madjo are all out.
On top of those five absences, Joao Gomes is suspended after starting in midfield. Emery loses a key link between defence and midfield for a game that matters.
The Ollie Watkins situation adds a late attacking doubt. Talks with Al-Hilal are confirmed, and the Basque coach has publicly mentioned his striker’s refusal to play.
Without Watkins, Villa’s attacking depth leans on far less proven options. Emiliano Buendia and John McGinn will have to feed a front line that has not yet convinced this season.
Villa Park remains an asset, with a crowd that gets behind the side from the first whistle. But the hosts need to survive the opening half-hour first, and they failed badly at Brighton.
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Arsenal: three different scorers and a defence to rebuild 
Three goals scored, none conceded, three different scorers: Arsenal’s start against Coventry was clean and efficient. Havertz opened the scoring in the 15th minute, Saka added a second in the 23rd, and Odegaard wrapped it up in the 49th.
That 3-0 win puts Arsenal second, behind Brighton only on goal difference. Winning the title last season has clearly not unsettled Mikel Arteta’s set-up.
The main concern is at centre-back. William Saliba is out with a back issue and Jurrien Timber is sidelined by a groin problem.
Cristhian Mosquera should therefore partner Gabriel Magalhaes in the middle of the defence. It is a pairing that is still short of top-level minutes together.
Bruno Guimaraes, who is also carrying a groin problem, remains doubtful for this trip. If he misses out, Declan Rice’s role in the recovery work becomes even bigger.
The midfield should be built around Rice, Odegaard and Myles Lewis-Skelly. That gives Arsenal both energy and invention in the final third.
Up front, Saka and Christos Tzolis would flank Havertz in a 4-3-3. Tzolis, signed this summer for forty million euros, adds another threat down the left.
The contrast is stark: Arsenal have a full attacking unit facing a side still searching for a proper centre-forward. That imbalance shapes the whole match.
Even so, the Gunners are exposed at set pieces with a reshaped centre-back pairing. Villa need to get at them early if they want to force a different script.
[bet365_cta]
Probable Aston Villa lineup: Not announced at the time of publication.
Probable Arsenal lineup: Raya; White, Gabriel Magalhaes, Mosquera, Calafiori; Rice, Odegaard, Lewis-Skelly; Saka, Havertz, Tzolis
Premier League prediction Aston Villa vs Arsenal
Our prediction: Arsenal to win
Arsenal travel with their attacking unit intact against a team missing six players and a striker who may well be on the way out. On paper, the balance is too clear to call an upset.
Villa failed to hit the target in round one and conceded four times in 33 minutes. Arsenal kept a clean sheet while having three different scorers.
The Gunners’ reshuffled centre-back pairing is the only real doubt. But Mosquera and Gabriel will be up against an attack without Watkins, Abraham or Bailey.
Arsenal should leave Villa Park with all three points. That is the play for Monday night.
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