Of all Premier League games scheduled for Saturday, January 18, Arsenal vs. Aston Villa is the most interesting one. The two high-flying EPL rivals will lock horns at Arsenal's Emirates Stadium
In the previous round of the 2024-25 Premier League, we saw Liverpool play 1:1 with Nottingham Forest, while Arsenal beat Tottenham 2:1. As a result, the Gunners are now second in the EPL standings with just four points fewer than the Reds. They want to keep the momentum, which is why beating Aston Villa on Saturday afternoon is a must.
Premier League odds suggest they're going to win, but given that the Villans have been great lately, it's not going to be easy.
The math is simple - if they want to stay in the race for the title, the Gunners need to keep on winning. They're four points behind Liverpool, who also have one game in hand. Still, given that the season has just passed its halfway point, there's plenty of time for Mikel Arteta's men to challenge the No. 1 position.
The problem is that there are some tough games coming their way and they're still without several of their key men. Bukayo Saka, for example, who's their most prolific assist-maker and their second-highest scorer in the 2024-25 EPL, is sidelined with a thigh injury. Gabriel Jesus is also out, and so are several defenders.
All this explains why Arsenal's recent form in the Prem isn't great - they are 1-1-2 in their last four games. On the bright side, they won their previous game. They beat Tottenham in the North London Derby on Wednesday.
It wasn't too impressive a win, though. The final score was 2:1, with one of those goals being an own goal by one of the Spurs' men.
The Villans have a very good team in 2025, which their current standing in the EPL (No. 7) shows. They have a chance to get even higher in the standings with a win over Arsenal.
They've been doing alright throughout the season, in which they're competing not just in the Premier League, but also in the Champions League and the FA Cup. Still, the English top-flight is their No. 1 priority.
They won their last two games in the Prem, but truth be told, they did it against lightweight opponents - Leicester City and Everton. Now, they're playing against Arsenal in London, which is a much, much tougher challenge.
On the bright side, most of their key men are not only fit but also in very good form. They do have some problems in the center of the pitch, with John McGinn and Ross Barkley expected to miss Sunday's game.
Arsenal struggled against Tottenham, and we think they're going to struggle even more against Aston Villa. The thing is that the Spurs were without a number of first-team players in that game, including two goalkeepers. The Villans, on the other hand, are coming to London with most of their crucial players fit and ready to go.