All isn't quite lost for Aston Villa at this point, but the more matches that go bye and the bigger the gap becomes between it and the rest of the teams in the league, the more likely relegation is in the near future.
A home date with Arsenal isn't likely to be a pretty game for the regulars at Villa Park.
Soccer Odds at BookMaker.eu
Aston Villa +550
Arsenal -220
Draw +280
Over/Under 2.5 (over -125)
ODDS ANALYSIS
Even though the Gunners haven't been in great form, they're understandably favorites in this match against a team which feels like it already has one foot in the Championship. Arsenal is the biggest road favorite of the Premier League weekend at -220, making it a full goal favorite on the Asian Handicap.
The total is a little high by EPL standards at 2.5 and -125 vig on the over, but let's not forget that the Villains have one of the worst defenses in the league.
KEY INJURIES
Arsene Wenger is cutting and pasting a team together in spite of the fact that he still has a ton of injuries to deal with. Alexis Sanchez is the most recent of the injuries after getting hurt against Norwich a few weeks ago. Add in there Danny Welbeck, Tomas Rosicky, Francis Coquelin, Santiago Cazorla and Mikel Arteta, and you've got what basically could amount to be an entire starting unit for a lot of teams dressed in street clothes on the Arsenal sidelines.
Villa has had a lot of problems as well on the injury front. Jordan Amavi's season is over with after he tore his ACL last month. Jose Angel Crespo is out for at least a few weeks, while Gary Gardner, Rudy Gestede and Tiago Ilori are question marks for this match as well. Keep an eye on Carlos Sanchez, who was taken off last week against Southampton with a head injury. His status is also unknown.
QUOTE TO NOTE
"The spirit we have shown, the talent we have in the team. We played a very good side. Southampton are used to playing for a long time together, you can see that. A point, a very important one. We suffered a lot. We were under pressure… It was difficult for us. It's a good point for us." – Aston Villa manager Remi Garde on the point the team got last week on the road against Southampton
RECENT FORM
Arsenal really hasn't played well on the road of late. The last three times this team played outside of London, it was beaten by Bayern Munich and West Brom along with a draw at Norwich City. That said, we know the Gunners have a lot of potential. They showed that at home last week with a 3-1 victory over Sunderland on the heels of a 3-0 victory in the UCL against Dinamo Zagreb.
The Villains are so frustrating to watch. At times, they look like a bunch which can play with anyone in the league. A scoreless draw with Manchester City and the draw last week at Southampton proved that to us. However, you turn around and see a 4-0 loss at Everton and a 3-2 loss at home to Watford, and you're reminded that this team is closer to the Championship than survival.
ANALYSIS AND ODDS PREDICTION
Which Aston Villa side will show up on Sunday? Let's not forget that this team really is just a matter of Jordan Ayew up front. If he isn't at his best, we're just not that sure where the offense is going to come from.
The one constant is Arsenal and its injuries. The Gunners are having problems offensively, and their road woes really concern us. We know we don't want a piece of that -220 on the moneyline. We'll take our chances on the Villains with the goal in hopes of another seemingly impossible scoreless draw against an elite team.
Aston Villa 0, Arsenal 0
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