Arsenal will arrive at Villa Park knowing that the next four games could make or break their bid for the Premier League title this season. The Gunners must face Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool after the Aston Villa clash and winning in the midweek game will no easy task against the home side, who will be keen to press their own claims for a Champions League place by taking all three points.

Quick Check

Aston Villa

  • Defender Stephen Warnock is hopeful of overcoming a shin problem.
  • Villa have lost only one of their last ten home games.
  • England midfielder James Milner has scored five goals in his last eleven games.
  • Stilyan Petrov, Emile Heskey and Richard Dunne all face late fitness tests.
  • Striker John Carew and midfielder Nigel Reo-Coker are both injury doubts.
  • Full back Wilfred Bouma is sidelined by a persistent toe problem.
  • Villa have taken only two points from their last 12 in the Premier League.

Arsenal

  • Defender Bacary Sagna is expected to return after a slight shoulder problem.
  • Arsenal have lost only one of their last 21 meetings with Villa.
  • Arsene Wenger’s side are unbeaten in their last nine Premier League matches.
  • Captain Cesc Fabregas has scored five goals in his last four games including Arsenal‘s 3-1 win over Villa at Christmas.
  • Arsenal have scored a league record 59 goals after 22 matches this season.
  • Alex Song and Emmanuel Eboue are both away on international duty at the African Cup of Nations.
  • French midfielder Abou Diaby has been ruled out by a calf strain.
  • It is still unclear when striker Nicklas Bendtner might return following groin surgery.
  • Kieran Gibbs will miss the rest of the season with a foot problem.
  • Dutch star Robin van Persie could miss the rest of the campaign with an ankle injury.
  • Defender Johan Djourou has been ruled out for the campaign with a knee problem.

Expert Advice

Arsenal are facing a critical period of their season and are still without several first-team regulars, with Abou Diaby joining the casualty lost for the trip to Villa Park. But one player they do have available is Cesc Fabragas and the Gunners captain could again prove the difference between the two sides. The Spanish international almost single-handedly won the games when the teams met over Christmas and he is the form midfielder in the Premier League at the moment. Villa have only lost once at home in the last couple of months and badly need the points but they have a terrible record against Arsene Wenger’s men and another disappointing evening could be in store here. It looks a difficult game to predict, though, so Betsson’s odds of 3.35 for there to be over 3.5 goals appears a value bet.

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