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Arsenal v Aston Villa
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Kick Off: Sunday 14th April at 16:30
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Competition: Premier League
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Watch Live: Sky Sports Main Event
Arsenal remain perched at the top of the Premier League and will be hoping to keep control of the title race when they host Aston Villa at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.
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Be sure to check out our guides on-site to help you spot the best value in the markets, such as this one all about betting on fouls for you to implement into your bet builders over the weekend. We also have btts acca tips and shots on target tips for expert picks on those markets.
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Arsenal had a tough shift midweek against Bayern Munich in a match full of controversy, but that result means Arsenal stretched their record to eight games unbeaten across all competitions, and still only one loss since the turn of 2024.
Aston Villa have had only two days of recovery in the run-up to what is perhaps the toughest fixture in the Premier League at the moment, and Unai Emery’s boys have struggled to find form in recent weeks, dropping outside the top four.
A huge three points is at stake for both teams, can Villa and former Arsenal manager Unai Emery complete the double over Arsenal and spice up this year’s title race even more?
Arsenal v Aston Villa Cheat Sheet
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🏆 Match stats: Arsenal to do professional job
Arsenal return to the Emirates this weekend and once again it’s tough not to fancy the Gunners while they’re playing with such confidence. Their midweek result, and performance, was perhaps not the ideal scenario, with their defence showing some shakiness and uncertainty that was uncharacteristic for the Gunners this season, but they have proved so strong in the Premier League that their Champions League performance should perhaps be forgiven.
Arsenal have won 11 of their last 14 across all competitions since the start of the year with their only defeat coming in Europe, and this translates to 10 wins from 11 games in the Premier League.
Revenge looks to be on the cards for Arsenal on Sunday, after Villa’s 1-0 triumph over the Gunners earlier on in the season put an end to a streak of four wins in a row for Arsenal against the Villans, and the visitors’ chequered form certainly highlights a win for the hosts.
Aston Villa have one win in their last five Premier League matches and will be without some key figures in their trip to the Emirates.
Aston Villa are without a win in three away fixtures, with their last win on the road dating back to the first week of March against Luton Town – a smash and grab 3-2 victory – so it seems away fixtures are certainly a struggle for Emery’s Villa.
It does feel like only the best can really test Arsenal at the moment and considering the league leaders (at the time of writing) have only suffered one defeat at home all season, Arsenal should continue their stay at the top of the Premier League table.
Predictions:
⚽ Arsenal to win @ 1.25
⚽️ Goals stats: Plenty of angles to consider
Arsenal have been scoring goals for fun lately, scoring 17 goals across their last six games in the Premier League, 8 of which came from their three home games.
An interesting selection for Sunday’s match is for Arsenal to score in the first half, a trend that is very prominent across their recent form. Arsenal have netted in the first 45 in 10 of their last 12 games across all competitions, with the two exceptions coming in games that the Gunners failed to get on the scoresheet – against Man City and Porto. This selection has landed in all of their last six games at the Emirates.
Aston Villa conceded in the first half in their outings against Man City and West Ham, both away fixtures, and their defence has certainly proved a little shaky in recent weeks so an Arsenal first half goal certainly holds value.
A slightly better priced angle to this, unsurprisingly, comes in the form of a goal to be scored in both halves. Arsenal have scored in the second half in ten of their last 12 games across all competitions, and Villa witnessed five goals in the final 45 of the 3-3 draw with Brentford last week. Aston Villa have also netted in three of their last four league outings in the second half.
With goals seemingly on the menu, both teams to score looks a good selection also. Aston Villa have blanked on only four occasions in the Premier League this season and the Arsenal defence may still be slightly shaken up after the midweek performance. Ollie Watkins continues his electric form and can certainly cause issues, and Arsenal have failed to keep a clean sheet against Villa in nine meetings.
Predictions:
⚽ Over 0.5 first half Arsenal goals @ 1.36
⚽ A goal to be scored in both halves @ 1.40
⚽ Both teams to score @ 1.75
⚽ Over 2.5 goals @ 1.40
🎯 Shooting stats: Two centre-forwards go head-to-head
Kai Havertz has been silencing the critics recently and has played a pivotal part of the Gunners’ attacking structure. Havertz performed well last time out in his side’s 3-0 win over Brighton and was unfortunate to be moved out wide in their midweek clash with Bayern Munich following Gabriel Jesus’ substitution.
Havertz is averaging 1.96 shots per 90 in the Premier League this season, averaging 0.67 shots on target, but the latter figure is quite unrepresentative of his current form. Havertz has hit the target at least once in nine of his last 12 games for Arsenal, scoring six goals.
He’s become the new starting centre-forward for Arsenal and can certainly cause trouble on Sunday.
Due to Arsenal’s incredible defensive performances this season, the spearhead of the Villa frontline, Ollie Watkins, is priced very generously to register a shot on target in this clash.
The English forward has racked up a very impressive tally of 18 goals this Premier League season, and after netting twice against Brentford, he’ll have a great confidence boost.
Watkins is creating lots of goalscoring opportunities as of late, averaging 3.03 shots per 90 this season and 1.40 shots on target to the same measure.
Villa’s main man has hit the target at least once in 12 of his last 15 across all competitions and he certainly takes advantage of all the chances he gets as shown against Brentford, two shots and two goals.
Predictions:
🔄️⚽ Kai Havertz to have 1+ shots on target @ 1.33
🔄️⚽ Ollie Watkins to have 1+ shots on target @ 1.83
🛑 Fouls stats: A fiery matchup in the title race
Bukayo Saka has proven himself to be a key fouling candidate for the Gunners this season, with the England international committing the second-most fouls in the Arsenal squad, averaging 1.20 fouls per 90 throughout this Premier League campaign.
Saka has committed at least one foul in eight of his last ten matches across all competitions, including four consecutive games at the Emirates. If Aston Villa are able to get a grasp on the game for a prolonged period and frustrate Saka down the right side, there’s certainly potential for a foul.
He‘ll be facing up against the likes of John McGinn, Alex Moreno and Ezri Konsa all who draw in 2.01, 1.22 and 1.85 fouls per 90.
Youri Tielemans is expected to return to the starting lineup in the absence of Douglas Luiz and the Belgian midfielder looks good value to get on the wrong side of the referee on Saturday.
The Belgian international is no stranger to fouls, committing at least one in 17 of his last 21 appearances for the Villans, at an average of 1.31 fouls per 90 this season. Arsenal are very likely to dominate possession on Sunday, similar to Man City where Tielemans made two fouls in 28 minutes after coming off the bench.
There are plenty of candidates in that Arsenal midfield for Tielemans to foul, including Bukayo Saka, Kai Havertz and Jorginho, who draw 2.02, 1.64 and 1.41 fouls per 90.
John McGinn is also part of the Villa midfield that can be caught out by the tricky Arsenal midfield on Sunday, and considering the absence of his midfield partner Douglas Luiz, the Scotsman may be left to clear up the mess.
McGinn averages 1.31 fouls per 90 this season as well as drawing 2.01 fouls so he’s certainly in the mix. He has made at least one foul in all of his last three Premier League appearances, including picking up a red card in gameweek 28 against Spurs, he too will have a tough game on Sunday.
The final angle for the fouls markets is for team total Aston Villa fouls. We have mentioned two of the key candidates to get on the wrong side of the ref on Sunday but they have all shown their claws in recent matches.
Aston Villa are making 11.1 fouls per 90 so far this season, an accurate representation of recent performances. The Villans have made 11+ fouls in six consecutive Premier League matches, including a whopping 19 fouls against Luton and 15 against Brentford last time out.
The absence of some key figures and the likelihood of Villa chasing the ball for most of the game, there should be plenty of opportunities for fouls.
Arsenal are drawing an average of 10.5 fouls per 90 this season and have drawn 10+ fouls across six of their last seven games in all competitions.
Predictions:
🔄️⚽ Bukayo Saka to commit 1+ fouls @ 1.25
🔄️⚽ Youri Tielemans to commit 1+ fouls @ 1.25
🔄️⚽ John McGinn to commit 1+ fouls @ 1.22
⚽ Aston Villa to commit 10+ fouls @ 1.36
* I recommend waiting for confirmed team line-ups before placing any bets.
* All odds displayed correct at the time of publishing.
Written by an Andy verified content writer
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