BOTH Aston Villa and Arsenal will be looking to return to winning ways in the Premier League when the pair lock horns at Villa Park on Saturday lunchtime.
Steven Gerrard's side suffered a 2-1 loss at West Ham last Sunday, on an afternoon where both of my London Stadium selections landed.
Despite the disappointment of that defeat, ending a three-game winning sequence in the process, the Villians are still occupying a place in the top half of the standings.
Villa will look to boost their chances of finishing in the top 10 for the first time since 2010-11 when top-four hopefuls Arsenal come to town this weekend.
Mikel Arteta's men will enter the match off the back of a 2-0 defeat at home to Liverpool in midweek, another game which brought up one of my bets.
That setback snapped the Gunners' five-game winning streak in the top-flight but the capital clubs' top-four destiny remains in their own hands.
Outright Betting
Despite emerging victorious in three of their last four Premier League fixtures with Arsenal, Aston Villa head into this match-up as 39/19 (SBK) outsiders while a share of the spoils has been priced up at 5/2 (SBK).
Arsenal, who have triumphed in nine of their last 12 top-flight fixtures, make the trip to the West Midlands as 17/12 (SBK) favourites.
Betting Angles
There isn't a huge amount of appeal in the 1×2 market here but siding with over three Asian Cards looks like a nice alternative angle of attack at 10/11 with Bet 365.
This selection would see us enjoy a full-stakes winner should four or more bookings be brandished and our stakes refunded if exactly three cards are flashed.
Whilst Arsenal have generally been a well-disciplined side this season, averaging 1.56 cards per game, Aston Villa, in contrast, sit third in the Premier League card count table
Steven Gerrard's charges are averaging 2.18 cautions per 90 minutes, with 12 of their last 13 top-flight fixtures featuring a minimum of three or more match cards.
Granted, referee Andy Madley is one of the Premier League's more lenient match officials (2.45 card per-game average) but it's worth noting that a sizeable 21 of Aston Villa's 28 (27%) Premier League this season have produced four or more match bookings.
With that in mind, coupled with the added insurance of a push if exactly three cards are dished out, I'm more than happy to side with over three Asian Cards at a value of 10/11 (Bet 365) in what should be a keenly-contested affair in front of the TV cameras on Saturday lunchtime.
One player who could be worth considering for a caution is Aston Villa right-back Matty Cash who has been priced up at 3/1 (UniBet) to go into the referee's notebook.
The Polish international, who has seen 15 cautions in 56 Premier League appearances for Villa, should have his hands full with Gabriel Martinelli who stole the show with a glittering performance against Liverpool in midweek.
This English Premier League match between Aston Villa and Arsenal will be played on Mar 19, 2022 and kick off at 12:30. Check below for our tipsters best Aston Villa vs Arsenal prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
