Aston Villa host Arsenal on Monday night this January 13th. Arsenal will be looking for revenge after Aston Villa beat Wenger’s men at the Emirates stadium at the first game of the season. That was a day where Aston Villa looked good and where tipped for great things; while Arsenal failed to bring anyone during the transfer window and looked like a team that would struggle. 6 months on, the complete opposite occurred. Aston Villa in mid-table not looking too inspiring, and Arsenal are doing well, with the team chasing the League title.
Aston Villa haven’t been doing to well at home this season, recently lost to Crystal Palace and struggled to beat Swansea. However they have beaten Man. City at home so the team is capable of putting in a good performance. Arsenal meanwhile are struggling with injuries, Walcott has been ruled out for the season and Bendtner is out for a few months. It has made their team light.
Team News:
Aston Villa will assess the fitness of central defenders Ron Vlaar and Nathan Baker. Both defenders missed the FA Cup clash against Sheffield United. Gabby Agbonlahor and Brad Guzan will be fit to play having both missed the FA Cup game with niggling injuries. Meanwhile the match against Arsenal is too soon for Chris Herd and Joe Bennett who have both returned to training.
Arsenal expect to recall Olivier Giroud who has recovered from illness and an ankle problem. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is back in the squad having recovered from a serious knee injury, he made his return in a reserve match this Thursday. Meanwhile, Ramsay and Gibbs are doubts for this game. Walcott, Diaby, Sanogo and Bendtner all miss out with injuries.
Match Facts:
Victory in this game would be Aston Villa’s 300th in Barclays Premier League history.
Arsenal are unbeaten in 14 Barclays Premier League trips to Villa Park, winning seven and drawing seven.
The Gunners’ 14 game unbeaten run at Villa is their longest away run without defeat against a single side in Premier League history.
No team has scored the first goal in more Premier League games this season than Arsenal (15). Conversely, no side has scored the first goal on fewer occasions this season than Aston Villa (5).
Arsene Wenger’s side have won just two of their last nine Premier League matches in January (D2 L5).
Aston Villa have used fewer players in the Premier League this season (21) than any other club.
Predicted Lineups:
Guzan
Lowton-Vlaar-Clark-Baker-Luna
Westwood-Delph
Albrighton-Benteke-Agbonlahor
Giroud
Podolski-Ozil-Cazorla
Flamini-Wilshire
Gibbs-Vermaelen-Koscielny-Sagna
Szczesny
Match Prediction:
Aston Villa 1-2 Arsenal
I’ve seen many people predicting a draw to Aston Villa, which I can personally see happening. But the thing is, in order for Aston Villa to get a draw Arsenal are going to have to play badly. I just don’t see that happening. We beat them last game but that’ll only motivate them to win. Also the return of Vlaar is essential. He is such a key defender, he organises the back well and with him in the side Aston Villa are much stronger defensively. I think we’ll see 5 at the back should both Baker and Vlaar return. Arsenal will play good football and I reckon Cazorla and Podolski will cause the most amount of trouble.
I dont think Arsenal will get the win as easily as many are predicting. I can see a 1 – 1 draw or a 1 – 0 Arsenal win. Given that Grealish is going back to VP tomorrow makes you wonder if he is going to play some part in the game….hope so!
Fuck off Lerner, the Villa is OURS
Iv a sneaky feeling we might scrape it tomorrow or at least get a draw. The reason us we can play it like an away side as Arsenal will not sit back and come at us and we can do them on the break. I’m expecting a similar game to man city game at home.
Oohah,Langford, I respect both of your prediction and you’ve lightened my hopes on tomorrows game, I’ll go for the draw lads.
Langford… even if Grelish comes back to villa tomorrow, he played a game only yesterday so one would doubt he would be in Lamberts plans???? I mean Gardner cant even get in the squad
Thats a good point mate. But he is only a youngster and he will have had more than 48 hours rest. I certainly hope that he does get some game time. That is clearly the idea otherwise why have him back?
Fuck off Lerner, the Villa is OURS
By the looks of his Twitter account he wants to stay at Notts County, but needs to come back because the Villa need him back…. Player chooses Notts County of the Villa…. Shows how far we have fallen !!!
SADDENED…indeed mate. Its very depressing supporting the Villa at the moment!
He’d get more game time at Notts County. I want him to stay there and help the club avoid relegation. We could see him playing more next season.
Why Adam ?
time to step up, if he is good enough he is old enough. FFS we have Bowery and Tonev on the bench and sometimes starting that should be Grealish.
I think I am right in saying Lambert has yet to give a PL start to any of the so called good kids we have. He would rather try and prove himself as buying ‘bargains’ in the market.
It’s one of those games, if they get a breakthrough early then we’re in trouble, and it could be embarrassing.
That said, the longer that we frustrate, the more opportunities we’ll probably make for ourselves.
Can see it being a draw personally, they’re missing some key players.
all i can say is we beat them once and we are due a home win….so i’m going to say i have no idea what the score will be.
Benteke will raise his game so you never know.
2-2
Our home form is going to be crucial now until the end of the season. We need to get it right as many of the home fixtures to come are against teams near or below us.
West Ham
Hull
Norwich
WBA
Stoke
Fulham
Cant believe that we have sunk this low. Most of those games should be comfortably home wins.
Fuck off Lerner, the Villa is OURS
Yes, this time last season things were looking so much better.
All those teams will come to VP and play like Palace. Sit back, and counter against us, and it works nearly every single time. Of the teams you listed, I will be surprised if we won more than 2 of those games. We are the worst team at home for a reason, we can’t break anyone down.
Of course, if we were to spend on a much needed playmaker that could change things or of course the much needed change of manager, but as neither will happen our home form will remain as shit and embarrassing as it has been for years.
4~0 ARSENAL i would love to be optimistic but looking at arsenal they look way too strong and we are shite .Think staying up wont be a problem though.
it would be a massive and pleasant surprise for us to get anything other than 0 pts in this one, arsenal not only looking for revenge will also be looking to go back to the top of the prem its a huge game for them and one where only 3 pts will do, they will come at us for the 3pts without doubt which may play out better for us as in the man city game as has been said. its also been said and its a big worry that should they go ahead early we could be bang in trouble and take a proper pasting.
im hearing that should vlarr and baker not be fit we will be forced to pair lowton and Clarke at CB(god help us)hopefully Vlarr at least will be back(although it does concern me that lambert seems to play players who aren’t match fit)his pairing with Clarke has been decent this season before vlarrs injury.
personally im very concerned we will get a pasting, cant see arsenal fucking this up, wenger wont allow them to do a man city and take the game too lightly.
We’re diabolical at home, if Arsenal get an early goal it will be a comfortable 0-4 or 0-5 win, if we can frustrate them a bit first half, they’ll only win by 1 or 2 but this will be a defeat for sure.
You can give Swansea 70% of the possession and still get the win. Tomorrow Giroud and Ozil likely to be back, good job Walcott is out but give arsenal 70% and expect an easy win for Arse.
would it not be great to see the team get in their faces, hurry them up and stick ourselves around. Instead we will have Westwood and Delph in midfield running around like headless chickens as arse pass and move in and around us.
this is why I am not bothering to go tomorrow, just can not be arsed to sit there and watch us be outclassed.
But you wanted a season ticket holders FA Cup final ticket if we’d go there ?
Right.
Lovely bloke that Vaze.
It’ll be like Barcelona playing Moor Green the gulf in class is that big, it’s simply embarrassing being a Villan at the moment.
BWS….are we the Barcelona and Moor Green Arsenal?….please clarify your point! 🙂
Pint???
Mines a lager!
Buy you a pint? Would rather put my bollox in an egg slicer! 🙂
A pint of Eggnob?
Lol..
Where are the transfers mate not one concrete link yet?
Says it all about our status now (and Lambert’s pulling power) that we can’t attract anyone other than your lower league players or second string Europeans willing to take 10k a week.
Does Lambert have a problem or some kind of inferiority complex with any player with experience? The only player we seem to be linked with any experience is Hoolahan and he knows him but apart from that zilch.
Say what you like about Ellis he had some kind of handle on football unlike the present absent incumbent.
Come back Deadly all is forgiven!
Gooner here,
I wouldn’t doubt yourselves too much. Villa has been one of our bogey teams over the years. As for our team news, it won’t be vermaelen and koscielny at the back its going to be mertesacker and koscielny who have proven to be two of the best cb’s in the league atm. With them we’ve had the best defence in the league so far this season and the second best last season. Anyway, may the best team win.
You obliviously aint watched us at home to often this season, I fear the worse mate.
Hey Gooner don’t have any spare players you don’t want have you,? the reason I’m asking is all ours but two are crap. As you say may the best team win.
Do you want bendtner? We’ll give you him
A close mate of mine who’s a villa fan has been saying that we’ll win but he said that at the beginning of the season yet you guys trumped us 3 – 1! Plus you beat city at home and we have a few injuries so you never know
Mr Gooner… I really hope you win the league. Love the way you guys play! Can we do a deal? Let us win tomorrow and we will see off all your rivals when we play them!
🙂
Na that’s a no deal I’m afraid. I want us to win every game possible.
I like villa, they were my dad’s second favourite team ( after arsenal ) . I hope you guys can stay up comfortably this season.
Lol…cheers, but not too sure about us staying up comfortably! Anyway, as I said, hope you go on to win the league. There is no better side to watch than yours. Do you think Arsene could stay behind after the match for a couple of hours? Was hoping he could teach us how to pass! 🙂
Not sure mate if he would do that lol. Sam allardyce complained one year that wenger never stayed after matches to have a drink with the him as apparently it’s a tradition. Wenger said he doesn’t like staying behind after matches because he wants to gey home quick. He might be up for doing a Skype session tho
I’m going to be realistic considering Arsenal are top and will pass us to the point of cutting us to pieces plus the fact their team is superior to ours & the fact we are playing poorly with our back four shot Arsenal to give us a spanking………3-0 Arsenal
I am gonna shock everyone and myself
I can see villa upsetting the world never mind us fans. but the way arsenal play and villa try 2. if vlaar is back I think villa av enough about them, 2 beat arsenal 2~1
arsenal can’t play boring and deep defence so if we can hold out at the back we will score goals with plenty chances on the break, I so much would love 2 see us try 2 pass more through midfield. it would help us lots 2 av spells in game were we make opposition chase the ball,
Nath…one problem there mate….we simply dont know how to pass!
Langford you forgot Fuck off Lerner the Villa is ours,
I like the confidence shown in some of the replies, but sadly can’t see us getting anything, especially if Arsenal score first, which is most likely.
I don’t think it’ll be a shoeing though (I’m saving that for the Pool game), just a very comfortable win, say 2 or 3 -1.
As for those other home games, while on paper they ought to be fairly easy, we really aren’t doing too well against the clubs around us, which is a worry.
To think not long ago, we’d have been hoping for 18 points from those six games!
Now, I’d be happy if we got 6-9 🙁
I guess things could change with some decent signings, but……. 🙁
I think we need at least 10 points from those 6 Badger. Otherwise we could be struggling!
What do you mean, “could be struggling”?
I’d expect us to beat West Ham and Norwich, but wouldn’t bank on either, the way we’ve been of late.
As for the rest, they’re too close to call for me.
We need at least a couple of players to hit some good form and any new signings to hit the ground running, imo.
At the moment, I really think we’re in a worse position than last season and that’s saying something!
I just hope something changes soon, as things don’t smell too good.
As for three teams being worse than us, I really don’t think so atm.
Struggling to stay up!
I meant there’s no “could be” about it mate.
We ARE struggling.
At least last season we looked like we had goals in us.
No sign of oohah this afternoon, one can only assume he’s bashing his bishop after watching Shawcross score an own goal.
And his cock up for the second!
Think he’s gone over to the states to kick f,.’k out of Lerner.
I’m here thought stoke played well tbf deserved a draw. Can’t wait to see our defence v Suarez and Sturbridge next week could be another Chelsea we will get annihilated
0-5 arsenal i think theres some very optimistic fans on here atm.outplayed by the blades now we’re going to possibly manage a draw against a team that are on fire.lol
We weren’t outplayed by Sheff Utd, they beat us with a cracking strike.
Same with Palace? Hang about a minute there’s a pattern forming here!Teams come to VP sit back and then hit us on the counter.I’d say Lambert’s tactics (or lack of them) have been rumbled.
Read are ally nice link today we are apparently going to bid 3 million for Kyle Naughton.Cracking if this came of how I would love Lambo to shut me and a few others up & sign a few good players……UTV
Yes mate but as likely as me picking 6 numbers in the lottery.
That should be read a really nice link damn predictor spell lol