ARSENAL v ASTON VILLA – Pick: 1 HT/FT – 01 February 2015

Gunners to blast Villa away at Emirates

Premier League Tips

Football – England – Premier League

Sunday 1st February 2015 – Kickoff: 1330hrs

Arsenal will be keen to wrestle back fifth position in the Premier League off London rivals Tottenham when they host lowly Aston Villa at The Emirates this afternoon.

Arsenal have lost just once in their last seven league matches (the one blemish was a 2-0 defeat at St Marys Stadium to high-flying Southampton), while they managed to overcome a spirited Brighton outfit to progress through to the next round of the FA Cup despite being given a major scare by The Seagulls.

But it’s back to Premier League action for Arsene Wenger’s boys as they look to leapfrog Tottenham having posted five wins from their last seven. The Gunners have also won their last four on the trot at home with wins over Southampton, Newcastle United, QPR and Stoke City, while their overall home record stands at  6-3-1  21/10.

Although they look set to be without leading goalscorer Sanchez, they still have the likes of Giroud, Cazorla and Ramsey in their attacking personnel.

 

Visitors Aston Villa seem to have reverted to type following a brief resurgence in form which kept them away from the relegation zone. But a poor run of seven matches without a win and just one goal scored during this miserable sequence may spell major trouble for Villa against a free-flowing attacking Arsenal unit this afternoon.

Scoring goals has been Aston Villa’s problem all season, and even with the return of star striker Benteke, they have still struggled to find the back of the net on a regular basis. Villa’s away record stands at a below-par  3-2-6  4/12 and they’ve failed to score away from home on no fewer than seven occasions, along with losing their last three on the trot on their travels.

 

This should be a shoo-in for the hosts Arsenal here, so I’ll back them to be up at half-time and at the end of ninety minutes in what could be a regulation 2-0 win for The Gunners.

Pick: Arsenal HT/FT @ 1.66 bet365