Chris Sutton has now shared his prediction for the Premier League clash between Arsenal and Aston Villa on Sunday.
The Gunners welcome Unai Emery back to the Emirates Stadium as Mikel Arteta – the man he replaced – aims to take advantage of Liverpool dropping two points at Old Trafford last Sunday.
It won’t be an easy game by any means, as the Villans are also fighting to achieve something special this season with UEFA Champions League qualification in sight – Aston Villa are currently fifth.
So, what does Chris Sutton expect to happen when Arsenal face Aston Villa? Let’s take a look…
Well, the man from Nottingham has predicted a difficult game for Arsenal on Sunday.
Emery is blessed with talented players such as Ollie Watkins, John McGinn, Leon Bailey, Ezri Konsa, Emiliano Martinez and Douglas Luiz – a reported target for Arsenal.
While Sutton backs these stars to trouble Arsenal, he does still expect the Gunners to pull through and secure all three points with a 3-1 win
For BBC Sport, the 51-year-old said: “Arsenal got a bit of criticism for their performance against Bayern Munich in midweek but I didn’t think they were that bad.
“This is another tricky game for the Gunners with former boss Unai Emery returning to the Emirates. Aston Villa beat them before Christmas and they are very dangerous coming forward.
“Villa have definitely got a goal in them, but I don’t think they are going to outscore Arsenal. There is too much at stake now for Mikel Arteta’s side, and the Premier League leaders have too much to lose.”
Aston Villa have already got one over on Arsenal this season, as Sutton alluded to, recording a 1-0 win at Villa Park back in December thanks to a goal from the aforementioned McGinn.
However, that was during Arsenal’s very odd run of woeful performances in December – which insiders believe was down to fatigue.
Since the start of 2024, Arsenal have been a team reborn, conceding just four Premier League goals while managing to win ten and draw one of 11 outings.
Even that solitary draw came against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium – Arsenal are undoubtedly the best performing team in England so far in 2024.
As aforesaid, Luiz is a target for Arsenal.
It was Fabrizio Romano who claimed that Arteta absolutely loves the Aston Villa No.6 and also Real Sociedad No.4 Martin Zubimendi – two players the Spaniard would seemingly sign for Arsenal tomorrow if he could.
Therefore, Sunday’s clash could be something of an audition for Luiz ahead of the summer transfer window, amid doubts over the future of Jorginho at the Emirates Stadium.
