Arsenal v Aston Villa: Villans to cause trouble at the Emirates
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Despite the obvious quality discrepancy between Arsenal and Aston Villa, Paul Lambert’s side have found the Emirates something of a points dispensary in recent campaigns.
Figures will support the statement that their 12/1 to prevail at the Emirates is absolutely massive and their hopes of procuring a widely unanticipated win are buoyed by the fact the Gunners must make do without one-man team Alexis Sanchez for this one.
A hamstring complaint is looking increasingly likely to keep the all-action Chilean confined to the sick bay, casting doubt over the hosts’ microscopic 1/4 to triumph here.
The draw looks appetising at 5/1 too, but if this match-betting buffet is lacking the ingredients required to tempt a wager, try these three alternatives on for size.
Aston Villa double chance @ 5/2
In five of their last eight league visits to Arsenal, the Villans have returned without inflating their losses column, bringing back three wins across this spell.
Their previous two trips to London this term yielded a pair of clean sheets and four points at Crystal Palace and West Ham.
Under 2.5 goals @ 23/20
Just two of Villa’s 11 away matches this term have seen the goal line in question crossed and in both of these cases (3-0 defeats at Everton and Chelsea) it only crept over.
Arsenal may have been ramming them home at will on the homestead of late, but half of the six matches on their current base-camp winning streak have fallen below the 2.5-goal mark and without Sanchez they’ll be notably weaker in the final third.
Mesut Ozil to score at any time @ 7/4
The German schemer returned to the starting line up in the Gunners’ 3-2 FA Cup win at Brighton last time out and marked the occasion with a goal.
It doubled his total for the campaign after notching his first in a 3-0 victory over next opponents Villa in the corresponding collision.
Talisman Sanchez didn’t start either of these games, meaning Ozil has bagged in two of three games that he has been available for in which the ex-Barcelona wide man didn’t feature.
