Aston Villa v Arsenal > Monday January 13th

[Aidymac]

[TABLE=class: couponTable, width: 617] [TR=class: row0, bgcolor: #F0F0F0] [TD=class: firstColumn]Aston Villa v Arsenal (20:00 GMT)[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]6.25[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]4.1[/TD] [TD=class: selectionBestOdd, align: center]1.64[/TD] [TD=class: bppWidth bpp, align: center]101.37 %[/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE]

[Aidymac]

Re: Aston Villa v Arsenal > Monday January 13th Walcott is out for 6 months, he will also miss the World Cup. Huge blow for club and country.

[Jase82]

Walcott is out for 6 months' date=' he will also miss the World Cup. Huge blow for club and country.[/quote'] Nah we'll just swap him for one of our other nippy wingers. Won't notice the difference. Arsenal are fcuked though, this is it, Ozil will be out with a metatarsal injury, Mertersacker's going to get lost somewhere in Greenwich :lol

[chuda]

Re: Aston Villa v Arsenal > Monday January 13th as a reasoning i`ll just state toto schillachi from liverpool - hull game... "Liverpool will come out spitting fire and shitting lava against the team who embarrassed them a month ago." :D nice one, fits in perfectly here . that game finished 2 - 0 . expecting the same here, 2 - 0, 3 - 1 ... ozil and girourd is back. as for wallcott loss, gnabry should get a game, he is good! ox should be back as well. price dropped all ready from 2.50... i`ll still take arsenal - 1 @ 2.40 with paddypower, 10 % of my betting fund... have to say completely agree with aidamac, it`s a big loss for arsenal and england. wallcott really was picking up form, and even here, every time arsenal were playing, people were going for wallcott anytime... it did looked like he can score in every game, plus to watch a pace alone is pleasure. i am not english , but i fallow england team.. yeahhh, that`s them then f...ed .... there is no one else in england for position.... don`t tell me townsend ! over 50 shots and one goal.... gotta fell sorry a bit, 6 months ... in form ... world cup....promising season....

[neilovan]

Re: Aston Villa v Arsenal > Monday January 13th Arsenal have had a relatively easy away schedule this season. They have played many middle / bottom teams away Fulham, Sunderland, Swansea, WBA , Crystal Palace, Cardiff, West Ham, Newcastle The 1.5 decent teams they have played away (Man United 1/2 ;), and Man CIty both beat them) They still need to play Everton, Liverpool, Chelsea, Tottenham, and weirdly Stoke away) and I can't see them winning many of these without Walcott and Ozil. My feeling is that Arsenal's small squad with limited quality, will see them fall off the pace second half of the season. All the value is on Villa in this game.

[salmonman]

Re: Aston Villa v Arsenal > Monday January 13th Arsenal -1 AH evens BET365 1 unit Villa are 2W/2D/6L at home, they are better away from home 4W/3D/3L. Arsenal are 7W/1D/2L away from home both of the losses were to Man City and Man United.

[Cataz]

Re: Aston Villa v Arsenal > Monday January 13th

My feeling is that Arsenal's small squad with limited quality, will see them fall off the pace second half of the season.

Top 4, everyone is happy (...) no money spent. I've seen this movie before:eyes

[Hume]

Re: Aston Villa v Arsenal > Monday January 13th

Arsenal have had a relatively easy away schedule this season. They have played many middle / bottom teams away Fulham, Sunderland, Swansea, WBA , Crystal Palace, Cardiff, West Ham, Newcastle The 1.5 decent teams they have played away (Man United 1/2 ;), and Man CIty both beat them) They still need to play Everton, Liverpool, Chelsea, Tottenham, and weirdly Stoke away) and I can't see them winning many of these without Walcott and Ozil. My feeling is that Arsenal's small squad with limited quality, will see them fall off the pace second half of the season. All the value is on Villa in this game.

I agree in part, though I feel Everton don't have a smaller squad and will themselves fall off the pace. Liverpool without an in form Suarez or Sturridge is just a mid table team. Wenger is being more astute and Arsenal less open to teams they know, can beat them. I got a 3 game accumulator with Arsenal winning as part of it.

[HastGill1]

Re: Aston Villa v Arsenal > Monday January 13th I struggle to make any argument for Villa coming away with anything from this game. They are a terrible home side, they get almost all their points in away games. Their home games in the Premiership so far this season are thus Chelsea (Lost 2-1), Liverpool (Lost 1-0), Newcastle (Lost 2-1), Man City (Won 3-2), Spurs (Lost 2-0), Everton (Lost 2-0), Cardiff (Won 2-0), Sunderland (0-0), Man Utd (Lost 3-0), Palace (Lost 1-0) and Swansea (1-1), all in all a terrible record especially against the better sides, the Man City game I watched and it was a total scandal, how they won that game I'll never know. Wenger has just had his press conference and revealed that Oxlade-Chamberlain, Giroud, Ozil are all fit to play and there is a chance Ramsey and Gibbs can start too, this is obviously good news from an Arsenal point of view and given their great away record this season it looks a very winnable game. Villa won the reverse game 3-1 which seems utterly bizarre considering what has happened since that game for both sides, Villa are certainly set for a fair old relegation scrap this season. Benteke isn't getting the same amount of goals as he was last season and his confidence is at rock bottom currently, I read a Villa fan say that it's like he's in a coma and they are just waiting for him to wake up. Villa are a poor footballing side, they will mainly rely on the counter attack and playing long aerial balls for Benteke, which should be meat and drink for the big German (can't spell Mert's name!). Villa used the counter attack well in the first meeting between the sides and I'm sure Wenger will be studying that game and seeing where they went wrong, that match was in a different context though, first game of the season and confidence high, fair to say that result was the highlight of Villa's season so far. I expect this price to go down mainly because it's being played on a Monday, people will jump on as weekend bets fail. Arsenal -1.0AH - 2.050 - pinnacle - 5 Points

[macmuck]

Re: Aston Villa v Arsenal > Monday January 13th

I struggle to make any argument for Villa coming away with anything from this game. They are a terrible home side, they get almost all their points in away games. Their home games in the Premiership so far this season are thus Chelsea (Lost 2-1), Liverpool (Lost 1-0), Newcastle (Lost 2-1), Man City (Won 3-2), Spurs (Lost 2-0), Everton (Lost 2-0), Cardiff (Won 2-0), Sunderland (0-0), Man Utd (Lost 3-0), Palace (Lost 1-0) and Swansea (1-1), all in all a terrible record especially against the better sides, the Man City game I watched and it was a total scandal, how they won that game I'll never know. Wenger has just had his press conference and revealed that Oxlade-Chamberlain, Giroud, Ozil are all fit to play and there is a chance Ramsey and Gibbs can start too, this is obviously good news from an Arsenal point of view and given their great away record this season it looks a very winnable game. Villa won the reverse game 3-1 which seems utterly bizarre considering what has happened since that game for both sides, Villa are certainly set for a fair old relegation scrap this season. Benteke isn't getting the same amount of goals as he was last season and his confidence is at rock bottom currently, I read a Villa fan say that it's like he's in a coma and they are just waiting for him to wake up. Villa are a poor footballing side, they will mainly rely on the counter attack and playing long aerial balls for Benteke, which should be meat and drink for the big German (can't spell Mert's name!). Villa used the counter attack well in the first meeting between the sides and I'm sure Wenger will be studying that game and seeing where they went wrong, that match was in a different context though, first game of the season and confidence high, fair to say that result was the highlight of Villa's season so far. I expect this price to go down mainly because it's being played on a Monday, people will jump on as weekend bets fail. Arsenal -1.0AH - 2.050 - pinnacle - 5 Points

Spot on here. I'm absolutely dismayed as a Villa fan, mostly with Lambert ( we need an old fashioned, creative No10 ). Like every Villa fan has not been saying this every week for the last five years!! CAUTION....Brilliant mind at work! I'm sorry but I,m so mad thinking about the state of that team that my words feel like they are dribbling down the steps of the old Holte End...pissing on past glories! Albeit not many...but we HAVE played with passion and abandon. And now....well now.... Watched the Arsenal game last weekend and they looked slick, organised and thought Gnabry was brilliant for one so young. Will not let the side down I'd think. Look they will rip this, passive, predictable, slovenly, inexperienced, second-rate Villa side to bits! Cause I'm excusing Gabby and maybe the keeper. Pity i cant really have a big bet but if you look at who they have lost to here, being 30% possession against Palace and such and having the worst Home record in the division.... Then there is only one outcome gonna happen here. * Oh, how Lambert must of wished he had NOT have talked Benteke out of a transfer last season. I bet the clown did NOT even ask him if he REALLY wanted to play for this team...because it is pretty clear he does NOT. Now will be worth half as much as he was last season and could cost them big this season. Manager my arse!

[senk]

Re: Aston Villa v Arsenal > Monday January 13th Well, all the big guns won their games this round and only Arsenal is missing in the top 8 winning teams. Their will be pressure on their shoulders in this game but what the hell, they are league leaders again if they win it. Odds are not great but I personally don't think villa at home is the right candidate to stop Arsenal. Walcott is a blow, ofcourse. He played some great games lately but Arsenal also won a lot of games without him on the pitch. There is something different about Wengers side this year. They also won games where they were really struggling to get a result but somehow still managed to grab the 3 points and that's exactly what they've missed the last decade to become champions. Not saying they will this year but it's been a while since Arsenal was at the top of the table for such a long time. I expect ozil mertesacker and giroud back in the line-up. Only missings are walcott and Bendtner. Ramsey should also be fine and with him returning Arsenal is a class better. This guy is having a great season so far unlucky he got injured though but showed really great potential and important fact now walcott is missing again.. Ramsey scored a lot of goals, and pretty ones as well. This is the type of guy you want to have in your team, great talent, eager, hungry for the win and a great work rate aswell. I did some research to find some potential value for this game. I do think Arsenal will win this game but 1.55 is low. Aston villa is terrible at home this season and they showed it again in the fa cup against sheffield utd while they were almost playing with their best 11. Pretty poor and they really need Benteke in top form to start winning some games. Arsenal will dominate possesion as always and Force aston villa to play the long ball which suits Mertesacker very well. Anyways, arsenal achieved 14 wins in the EPL this season but a very interesting fact is that they've won the 2th half in 13 of those matches. Amazing to see that they really step up their game if a positive result is still in danger after 45 minutes. And like we all know these kind of teams. Barcelona, arsenal, bayern munchen. They won't stop scoring if they have the chance because if you have so much possesion chances will come anyway. So if it's 0-2 at HT I'm still convinced Arsenal will not back down and defend for 45 minutes. This will only give them more space at the back of the opponent. Odds around 1.90 are pretty tasty for me and I will go big on them. Villa should be hungry for a win after their shamefull cup game last week so if they are gonna put some pressure on Arsenal it will be in the first 20 minutes of the game. It always goes that way. Expect a solid performance from the gunners and a good win especially in the second half. 9 days rest so players should be fresh as Mentos! Goodluck all, I'm really looking forward to this game and Arsenal this season. Hope they will get a world class striker soon. But for the moment Giroud is doing fine. Cheers :-)

[TotoSchillaci]

Re: Aston Villa v Arsenal > Monday January 13th -- 9 days rest should see Gunners fit and sharp -- Nearly all important players available bar Walcott. Don't think he'll be required against Villa. -- Lambert opened his mouth about FA Cup in the media and it back fired big time losing 1-2 to Sheffield. Captain CB Vlaar was out of that match as was fellow defender Baker. They are both doubts for this one. -- Vlaar is a crucial player for them in a leaky defence. If he is out Arsenal could ruthlessly take advantage of that IMHO. -- Arsenal had to deal with a tornado of unfair and sensationalised media/fan backlash which was excessive and ridiculous after they lost the 1st match 1-3 to them. -- Wenger says it's not about revenge and it wasn't Villa's fault yadda yadda yadda. But these are human beings who don't always think that logically. So maybe the Arsenal players will want to win this one 5-0 to put those demons and bad memories well and truly to bed. -- Lambert is under huge pressure with the poor play, poor results and the fans getting on his back. He wishes this was at the Emirates so at least he could just play counter attack for 90 mins and pray. -- Reason Villa's away record is better is because playing on the counter is all they do and when they do it at home they get beat. Plain and simple. -- It comes down to inexperienced, average players, low on form and confidence, taking on a polished genuine title contender which is technically superior with 2 big motivations. First get back 1st position from City. Second, exact sweet revenge on a team that embarrassed them in their own stadium in week 1 in front of their own supporters. Arsenal -1 AH @ 1.975 Bet 365 Best of luck :ok

[kevshat]

Re: Aston Villa v Arsenal > Monday January 13th 4pts Arsenal (-1AH) to beat Aston Villa 1.95 Bet365 I think Arsenal will have too much attacking power for Villa in this game. Villa aren’t the tightest at the back at the best of times but with doubts over a number of defensive personnel the last thing they need is a pretty buoyant Arsenal side coming to face them. Villa may well threaten the other way although Arsenal have been defending very well this season so it won’t be easy for the home side to get into the game. I think Arsenal will have too much here. Full preview here: http://www.punterslounge.com/aston-villa-vs-arsenal-betting-arsenal-can-regain-top-spot-with-win-at-villa-park

[ivan-ikonomov]

Re: Aston Villa v Arsenal > Monday January 13th I think that Arsenal should be priced 1.20 - 1.25 based on the current state of the squads, Villa's home record this season against opposition of similar quality and overall home record and Arsenal's away record this season against similar teams (one draw against West Brom in October just before the international break when Arsenal were tired).

[senk]

Re: Aston Villa v Arsenal > Monday January 13th Lets hope luck will be on our side tonight ! :-) Under normal circumstances Arsenal should win this quite comfortable. Away at newcastle many of us backed the home side on some side of handicap but Arsenal is really stable at the back this season except for the game against city but shit happens. Overal Newcastle looked toothless upfront and even city allowed newcastle more chances than Arsenal. Motivation should be big tonight and only a miracle can deliver Villa some points. Goodluck all!

[HastGill1]

Re: Aston Villa v Arsenal > Monday January 13th

I struggle to make any argument for Villa coming away with anything from this game. They are a terrible home side, they get almost all their points in away games. Their home games in the Premiership so far this season are thus Chelsea (Lost 2-1), Liverpool (Lost 1-0), Newcastle (Lost 2-1), Man City (Won 3-2), Spurs (Lost 2-0), Everton (Lost 2-0), Cardiff (Won 2-0), Sunderland (0-0), Man Utd (Lost 3-0), Palace (Lost 1-0) and Swansea (1-1), all in all a terrible record especially against the better sides, the Man City game I watched and it was a total scandal, how they won that game I'll never know. Wenger has just had his press conference and revealed that Oxlade-Chamberlain, Giroud, Ozil are all fit to play and there is a chance Ramsey and Gibbs can start too, this is obviously good news from an Arsenal point of view and given their great away record this season it looks a very winnable game. Villa won the reverse game 3-1 which seems utterly bizarre considering what has happened since that game for both sides, Villa are certainly set for a fair old relegation scrap this season. Benteke isn't getting the same amount of goals as he was last season and his confidence is at rock bottom currently, I read a Villa fan say that it's like he's in a coma and they are just waiting for him to wake up. Villa are a poor footballing side, they will mainly rely on the counter attack and playing long aerial balls for Benteke, which should be meat and drink for the big German (can't spell Mert's name!). Villa used the counter attack well in the first meeting between the sides and I'm sure Wenger will be studying that game and seeing where they went wrong, that match was in a different context though, first game of the season and confidence high, fair to say that result was the highlight of Villa's season so far. I expect this price to go down mainly because it's being played on a Monday, people will jump on as weekend bets fail. Arsenal -1.0AH - 2.050 - pinnacle - 5 Points

Well, expected a price drop and it's certainly arrived with this bet down to 1.82 on pinnacle now. Whatever the outcome though I'll hand it to the Villa fans, they are an optimistic bunch, this is a sample of their comments on their forum..

Lamberts post match comments along the lines of "I can't fault the effort by the young lads today they gave it their all and were brilliant. Ok 0-4 is a bit flattering to them since they only had 85% possession and 17 shots on target to our 2. Szesny made two world class saves there at 0-1 and Brad only had to be called into action the 15 times. It was a lot closer than the scoreline suggests." Same shit different day and opposition. We are going to get humiliated, I can feel it and it will be painful to watch. I hope to god I am wrong but I just can't see any other outcome the way we are playing at the moment.

Don't see us scoring for the life of me.

We are due a big loss this season. This could be it. Can't wait to see our midfield in this one. 80% precession to arsenal is my guess. 4-0.

We aren't underdogs, we're shit.

6-0 Arsenal. Villa with a record breaking 4% possession.

I have never been less confident of getting a point from a game than this.

Prediction: Arsenal cruise easily into the lead while we do nothing but hoof and give the ball away. Crowd starts booing at the shitness of it all after a while. Players respond by upping their efforts and crashing in late on Arsenal players who have already passed the ball. Wenger gets irate. Ref waves a couple of yellows but is generally lenient, making allowances for our players' general incompetence. We finally get a shot on target after about 72 minutes with a weak long-range effort by El Ahmadi. Arsenal add a late goal or two. Game ends 0-2 or 0-3. Lambert praises players for effort and we move on to the next game. Of course, this is assuming that things don't go too badly.

Quite funny some of them :lol

[neilovan]

Re: Aston Villa v Arsenal > Monday January 13th

Arsenal have had a relatively easy away schedule this season. They have played many middle / bottom teams away Fulham, Sunderland, Swansea, WBA , Crystal Palace, Cardiff, West Ham, Newcastle The 1.5 decent teams they have played away (Man United 1/2 ;), and Man CIty both beat them) They still need to play Everton, Liverpool, Chelsea, Tottenham, and weirdly Stoke away) and I can't see them winning many of these without Walcott and Ozil. My feeling is that Arsenal's small squad with limited quality, will see them fall off the pace second half of the season. All the value is on Villa in this game.

Thanks for pointing out the -1 Arsenal Asian. Just slipped what's left of my mind :eek. One other bet that may be worth considering is the HTFT, DRAW/ARSENAL at 4.5 various Arsenal have only won 1 of their last 8 1st halves away. Villa have only lost 1 of their last 6 1st halves at home. They may play Arsenal tight in the 1st half and then fade away. Arsenal are also a very good 2nd half team away winning 7 of 10

[NoFear]

Re: Aston Villa v Arsenal > Monday January 13th

Thanks for pointing out the -1 Arsenal Asian. Just slipped what's left of my mind :eek. One other bet that may be worth considering is the HTFT, DRAW/ARSENAL at 4.5 various Arsenal have only won 1 of their last 8 1st halves away. Villa have only lost 1 of their last 6 1st halves at home. They may play Arsenal tight in the 1st half and then fade away. Arsenal are also a very good 2nd half team away winning 7 of 10

be careful with your ht/ft bet. Arsenal will be gunning for revenge against the team that beat them on opening day and likely be playing sharply from the word go on Monday Night TV's only game.

[neilovan]

Re: Aston Villa v Arsenal > Monday January 13th

be careful with your ht/ft bet. Arsenal will be gunning for revenge against the team that beat them on opening day and likely be playing sharply from the word go on Monday Night TV's only game.

Fair enough but I like to make 1 or 2 3-legged longshots every week. I don't risk much on them, just 1 unit (my max is 6) x 2 I just hope Villa play as badly as everyone expects :p

[allthethings]

Re: Aston Villa v Arsenal > Monday January 13th Let's see...yesterday everybody loved Stoke...similar odds. Tough first goal changed everything...perhaps. Today everybody loves Arse. (Who doesn't?) ;) But I digress. IF Arsenal come out like gangbusters to "avenge" the opening day loss...I do not think that athletes think like this, honestly...they will in fact be vulnerable to the one thing Aston Villa do, which is counter. IF Villa set up defensively, it might be very different. Walcott's absence can be covered, Arsenal have the horses, but... I guess I am generally opposed to backing public favorites, and this is one of those times. Considering my options at the moment...draw at 4.58? X-AW @ 4.35? Either team scores 4+ goals @ 5.8? lol...just thought I'd chime in.

[senk]

Re: Aston Villa v Arsenal > Monday January 13th Don't think revenge will play a part here.. You will want to win games anyways. That was just a coincidence. Getting back at the top of the table is a bigger motivation for Wenger and his side. Also the comebacks of some important players is crucial. These players are ALWAYS eager to perform, these guys love football [thing you can's say about all pro players though] and they hate to watch their team play from the stands so I have no doubts they are very motivated to deliver a positive results tonight. If Villa was anywhere near their normal form I would say this can be a tricky game for the Gunners but I think the odds are fair and Bookies also know this is a very winnable game for the away side. We [betters] made the odds drop heavily but bookies are no retards they move the markets with us] I just hope it will be a good game of football. :D

[NoFear]

Re: Aston Villa v Arsenal > Monday January 13th

Let's see...yesterday everybody loved Stoke...similar odds. Tough first goal changed everything...perhaps. Today everybody loves Arse. (Who doesn't?) ;) But I digress. IF Arsenal come out like gangbusters to "avenge" the opening day loss...I do not think that athletes think like this, honestly...they will in fact be vulnerable to the one thing Aston Villa do, which is counter. IF Villa set up defensively, it might be very different. Walcott's absence can be covered, Arsenal have the horses, but... I guess I am generally opposed to backing public favorites, and this is one of those times. Considering my options at the moment...draw at 4.58? X-AW @ 4.35? Either team scores 4+ goals @ 5.8? lol...just thought I'd chime in.

"revenge" was just one of the factors which didnt bode well the bet that was in question - HT/FT. There are other factors like getting back to the top of the table, arsenal's form, villa's form, injuries, pressure on managers, etc. Most of these have already been mentioned previously. Arsenal was value when -1 was evens. Its a public play now and no value for me. As for villa countering, I am sure arsene is a good manager and he will have learnt from the mistakes that were made in the first match between these two.

[HastGill1]

Re: Aston Villa v Arsenal > Monday January 13th

Let's see...yesterday everybody loved Stoke...similar odds. Tough first goal changed everything...perhaps. Today everybody loves Arse. (Who doesn't?) ;) But I digress. IF Arsenal come out like gangbusters to "avenge" the opening day loss...I do not think that athletes think like this, honestly...they will in fact be vulnerable to the one thing Aston Villa do, which is counter. IF Villa set up defensively, it might be very different. Walcott's absence can be covered, Arsenal have the horses, but... I guess I am generally opposed to backing public favorites, and this is one of those times. Considering my options at the moment...draw at 4.58? X-AW @ 4.35? Either team scores 4+ goals @ 5.8? lol...just thought I'd chime in.

Trust you to come in here and ruin all the positive vibes..;)

[allthethings]

Re: Aston Villa v Arsenal > Monday January 13th

Trust you to come in here and ruin all the positive vibes..;)

Yeah, well...I broke one of my cardinal rules by betting Stoke even after seeing that everyone here loved them. Won't do that again. (He said, again.)

[KavkaZ]

Re: Aston Villa v Arsenal > Monday January 13th Aston Villa - Arsenal * Winning this game would be for Aston Villa 's 300th in the Premier League * Arsenal has not lost to Aston Villa in Birmingham 14 league games in a row (+7=7). With any other team in the Premier League The Gunners failed to achieve the same long-term guest unbeaten streak * In the first game of these teams this season in August last year Arsenal received two goals from the penalty spot. Last time Gunners conceded two goals from the penalty spot was in February 2011 , when they met Newcastle * No one this season in the Premier League did not open the score more than Arsenal (15 times) * No one this season in the Premier League did not open the score less than Aston Villa (only 5 times) * In 21 previous home match Aston Villa only twice kept his goal intact * Arsenal have won just 2 of the January matched in their last 9 Premier League (=2-5) * This season, in the field for Aston Villa featured only 21 players - least of all in the Premier League * This season, Arsenal has scored 9 goals from header in the Premier League - more than any other team * Aston Villa won only one game out of January from last 9 Premier League (=4-4)

[Jase82]

Re: Aston Villa v Arsenal > Monday January 13th Aston Vila V Arsenal Under 2.5 goals @ 2.10 - bet365. Probably going against the grain here but Arsenal have been mightily impressive defensively this season, and this is a huge game for them. Probably their biggest so far. I say that because City are really starting to power into their upper gear now and I fear anything but a win here would be a huge setback as City will be unstoppable in the second half of the season. Villa have just been pretty toothless offensively at home all season. They seem to have regressed slightly after improving immensely in the second half of last season, and now just look very average. They've only hit three goals in their last seven home fixtures, and prior to that there was the random game where they beat City 3-2, going even further back they only scored the one goal in their first two home fixtures. They have failed to score in six home fixtures this season in the Premier League, which is awful. Given Arsenal's improved defensive capabilities and their need for three points above all else I can't see Villa scoring against them here. Benteke's not doing the business and without him they lack the firepower. Agbonlahor has been injured a lot too, which disrupts things. I'm keeping my :hope crossed that Ron Vlaar returns tonight. Either way, should be an interesting battle.

[allthethings]

Re: Aston Villa v Arsenal > Monday January 13th Gone for the draw at 4.6, but I expect to regret it. The reason for draw rather than win: Three times more draws than wins when the underdogs of 6.0 to 7.99 bite in the Premier.

[salmonman]

Re: Aston Villa v Arsenal > Monday January 13th Arsenal to win to nil - 2.40 bet365 This would have hit 5 times betting the away team, Villa have failed to score 6 times in there 10 league home games, (0-1 Liverpool, 0-2 Tottenham, 0-2 Everton, 0-3 Man U, 0-1 Crystal Palace, 0-0 Sunderland) Arsenal have 9 clean sheets this season in the league, they have 9 clean sheets in the last 12 league games, just a bit concerned they only have 3 clean sheets away from home. Wenger has started Flamina to help break up Villa's counter attacks.

[composite]

Re: Aston Villa v Arsenal > Monday January 13th Everyone says that this is a "must win" for Arsenal to keep up with Chelsea and City. Isn't *every* game a "must win" then? What isn't every game a "must win" game these days for any of Arsenal, Chelsea and MC since only 2 points separate them? And, if they're all "must win" games, then why is the Villa game more important to Arsenal than any other game?

[allthethings]

Re: Aston Villa v Arsenal > Monday January 13th

Everyone says that this is a "must win" for Arsenal to keep up with Chelsea and City. Isn't *every* game a "must win" then? What isn't every game a "must win" game these days for any of Arsenal, Chelsea and MC since only 2 points separate them? And, if they're all "must win" games, then why is the Villa game more important to Arsenal than any other game?

I agree...you often hear bettors say that a team needs to win a particular game, and it's rather silly. The thinking here is that if Arsenal fall behind on the table, they won't be able to catch City...which is silly, because City won't win the rest of its games, either. It's January, all games are of equal importance, with two exceptions: Teams hoping to win the league mustn't lose points to poor sides, and ought to do well h2h against their title rivals. And really, on away in the Premier, there are no real "poor sides" at home as dogs. They're all tough.