Merson is impressed with Villa but predicts another Arsenal victory | OneFootball

Everyone will be watching what happens at Villa Park this evening as Aston Villa host Arsenal.

It is worth mentioning that Villa are developing as a genuine threat, as their comfortable win over Manchester City on Wednesday night moved them up to third in the league standings, four points behind the leaders Arsenal, and maintained their perfect home record in the league.

Arsenal aspires to be the real deal in the Premier League. And to do so, they must be the first team to defeat them on their home turf. Do you believe they’ll do that? Paul Merson certainly believes they will, predicting a 2-1 victory for Arsenal over Villa.

He lauds Villa’s performance against Manchester City but still believes Arsenal will win on Saturday night. According to Merson, Martin Odegaard and Rice will be able to win the midfield battle, of which the ex-Gunner also believes Havertz will start, as he can also help Arsenal win the midfield battle and deal with the famous “Villa press” this season. Apart from the midfield, Merson believes Saka and Martinelli will be “unmanageable” against Villa.

“Aston Villa absolutely dominated Manchester City and came away with a deserved 1-0 win in midweek.

“I haven’t seen a team do that to Man City in God knows how long, so it was a huge statement of intent from Unai Emery and Co. If Aston Villa win here, they are in the title race. I just have to say it.

“They put in a lot of hard work against Man City, but I still fancy Arsenal in this one. If Arsenal can beat the Villa press with Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard in the centre of the park, I don’t think the full-backs will be able to handle the likes of Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli.

“As for Kai Havertz, I said so many times that he’s a top player and would be a good signing for Arsenal. I’m not sure if he’ll start against Villa, but I think they could use a player like him as he’d play a key role in beating their press.”

Arsenal must defeat Villa on Saturday. That’s the game in which they prove they’re the real deal and the team to bet on in the Premier League title race. If Arsenal beats Villa on Saturday, call me optimistic, but I don’t see them failing to beat any other team this season.

Daniel O

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