Aston Villa and Arsenal lock horns at Villa Park in Saturday’s early Premier League kickoff.
Unai Emery will be hoping to get one over on the Gunners, who are no longer at the top of the table.
Both Villa and Arsenal go into the game on the back of 3-1 defeats to Manchester City.
The hosts’ football has improved under Emery, but seven goals conceded in their last two is worrying.
Meanwhile, Arsenal have suffered a downturn in form, picking up just one point from their last available nine.
However, victory in Birmingham would see Mikel Arteta’s side return to the summit, if only for a few hours.
With City subsequently taking on Nottingham Forest, Arsenal have the chance to put the pressure on their title rivals.
Paul Merson, who played for both Villa and Arsenal, previewed the game and predicted the result on Sportskeeda.
He says he wouldn’t be surprised if the Gunners don’t win the match, but nonetheless predicted a 2-0 away win.
Merson’s reasoning is that Villa will play more expansive football than Everton, which could play into Arsenal’s han’ds.
This is a huge game,’ wrote Merson. ‘This is a must-win match for Arsenal, and they have to bounce back.
‘If they lose or draw this game, I don’t know how they’re going to turn it around.
‘It’s not the worst game in the world for them – I can think of worse places to visit this weekend.
‘Aston Villa were doing things right.
‘But they’ve gone bang-wallop-crash all of a sudden and have conceded seven goals in just two games.
‘This game will pit Unai Emery against Arsenal, and he’ll be out to stop them.
‘I wouldn’t be surprised if Arsenal don’t win this game.
‘They’re making mistakes and they looked nervous against Manchester City.
‘Pep Guardiola was able to bring on Phil Foden in the second half. Arsenal, in contrast, brought on Fabio Vieira.
‘This won’t be like the Everton game.
‘Aston Villa are going to play better football – they’re not going to kick Arsenal around and resort to long balls.
‘This could play into Arsenal’s hands, and I think they should be able to win this game.’
Our prediction
It’s a tricky game for Arsenal. They’re playing away at a solid team managed by Emery, who’ll be eager to get one over on his former team.
In addition, Villa have had more rest than the Gunners, who are facing a ridiculously quick turnaround in games after the City clash.
At the same time, Arsenal have a lot of quality, but I feel they’ll only be able to get a draw today.
