Aston Villa will look to put their opening-weekend nightmare at Brighton to bed quickly but face the not-so-small matter of defending Premier League champions Arsenal in their first home game.
The Gunners began the defence of their Premier League crown with a convincing 3-0 win over Coventry City thanks to goals from Kai Havertz, Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard.
Mikel Arteta will be hoping for more of the same on Monday, although he must be wary of a wounded Villa aiming to bounce back from the 4-0 defeat to Brighton.
Aston Villa vs. Arsenal betting picks and predictions
Over 2.5 goals (-125)
Both of Aston Villa and Arsenal’s opening matches saw three or more goals being scored last week.
Remarkably, Brighton scored four times against Villa in the opening 31 minutes, while Arsenal’s three goals were scored by the 49th minute at the Emirates.
Meetings between these two sides usually produce goals too, with at least goals scored in the last three games in scorelines of 4-1, 2-1 and 2-2.
Arteta will be keen to capitalise on the defensive frailties Villa so obviously showed in their opening capitulation as he looks to get the champions in the best possible position with sterner tests perhaps still to come.
The Gunners are capable of scoring plenty on their own, but Villa having home advantage and being desperate to bounce back only enhances the appeal of this game passing the goal line.
Christos Tzolis to provide an assist (+275)
Christos Tzolis has got his Arsenal career off to a wonderful start and looks right at home in the starting XI for the Premier League champions.
After providing two assists and scoring his first Arsenal goal in pre-season, Tzolis really came to life against Manchester City in the Community Shield, registering two assists in the 3-0 win.
While he did not get another in the win over Coventry, he still made three key passes to prove again highlight his ability to set up his team-mates.
Tzolis should start once more for Arsenal and can cause plenty of problems for a Villa defense that must be low on confidence.
Kai Havertz to score first (+500)
Kai Havertz has scored in both of Arsenal’s competitive matches so far this season and should he remain fit, he could be key to a successful title defense this term.
He netted the second against City in the Community Shield at the Principality Stadium, but then opened the scoring against the Sky Blues.
In two of Arsenal’s final three competitive matches of the 2025-26 season, he scored the first goal against PSG in the Champions League final as well as against Burnley in the Premier League.
On that basis, the former Chelsea forward is worth considering to open the scoring against Villa.
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Aston Villa vs. Arsenal odds
Aston Villa | +525 |
Tie | +333 |
Arsenal | -200 |
Aston Villa vs. Arsenal player props
Anytime goalscorer
Kai Havertz (Arsenal) | +150 |
Bukayo Saka (Arsenal) | +210 |
Christos Tzolis (Arsenal) | +210 |
Martin Odegaard (Arsenal) | +375 |
Nicolas Jackson | +375 |
Emiliano Buendia | +550 |
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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
