'They will fancy their chances': Paul Merson predicts result of Arsenal v Aston Villa clash
Today at 01:15 AM
Arsenal will look to keep up the pressure on Liverpool when they host Aston Villa in Saturday's Premier League encounter at the Emirates Stadium.
Arsenal, fresh from their North London derby win, will be up against the last team that left the Emirates Stadium with three Premier League points.
Aston Villa are currently seventh in the table, having beaten Everton and Leicester City in their last two league games, along with West Ham in the FA Cup.
Paul Merson has now predicted how he feels Arsenal will fare against Villa, predicting the result of the game in North London.
Paul Merson backs Arsenal to run out 2-1 winners over Aston Villa
Merson, writing on Sportskeeda, warned the Arsenal players that they must not let the occasion get to them.
The Gunners lost 2-0 to Villa at the Emirates last season in a game widely considered to have been the end of their title challenge.
In addition, Liverpool play first on Saturday, which means they could be seven points ahead before Arsenal even kick off.
Nonetheless, Merson believes Arsenal will have just enough to record a 2-1 win in North London.
“This is a huge game for Arsenal,” he wrote. “If Liverpool win like I predicted, Arsenal will be seven points behind the league leaders before this game kicks off!
“And that can be a huge psychological block for some players, especially since the risk of dropping points will keep running inside their heads.
| Position | Team | PlayedMP | WonW | DrawnD | LostL | ForGF | AgainstGA | DiffGD | PointsPts |
| 1 | LiverpoolLiverpool | 20 | 14 | 5 | 1 | 48 | 20 | 28 | 47 |
| 2 | ArsenalArsenal | 21 | 12 | 7 | 2 | 41 | 19 | 22 | 43 |
| 3 | Nottm ForestNottingham Forest | 21 | 12 | 5 | 4 | 30 | 20 | 10 | 41 |
| 4 | NewcastleNewcastle | 21 | 11 | 5 | 5 | 37 | 22 | 15 | 38 |
| 5 | ChelseaChelsea | 21 | 10 | 7 | 4 | 41 | 26 | 15 | 37 |
| 6 | Man CityManchester City | 21 | 10 | 5 | 6 | 38 | 29 | 9 | 35 |
| 7 | Aston VillaAston Villa | 21 | 10 | 5 | 6 | 31 | 32 | -1 | 35 |
“Aston Villa stopped Arsenal from winning the league title last season and that will still be in the players’ minds.
“Villa are grinding out some results and they have enough firepower to trouble Arsenal in the form of Morgan Rogers and Ollie Watkins.
“They will fancy their chances at the Emirates because Arsenal will have a go and it will open up spaces for them.
“Arsenal have had two difficult games in the space of a few days. If they can follow up that derby win over Tottenham with a win against Villa, that will be massive.
“Arsenal are not out of the title race, they have very little margin for error, yes. But they are not out of it at all!
“I’m going to go with Arsenal here, but only just. This will be a tight game.”
Arsenal v Aston Villa team news
Riccardo Calafiori remains a doubt for Arsenal after he missed the past few games with a muscle complaint.
Gabriel Jesus is set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines after it was confirmed he has an ACL injury.
Bukayo Saka is out with a hamstring injury, Ethan Nwaneri is nursing a groin issue, and Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu are both out with knee injuries.
John McGinn is set to miss Villa’s trip to N5 with a hamstring issue, while Ross Barkley is out with a calf injury and Pau Torres and Diego Carlos are long-term absentees.
Jhon Duran returned from suspension against Everton, while Emiliano Martinez was back between the posts after what Emery described as a "small problem".
TBR Football has predicted Arsenal’s starting XI for the meeting against Villa.
