It is finally upon us, my friends. Another season is about to begin. Every team will start from scratch, lined up evenly at the line. Who will hold their run perfectly to the finish? Manchester United? City? Chelsea? The might Gunners? or will it be an underdog, perhaps a Newcastle? or even Everton? After Matchday 1, we’ll all have a better idea. *notice how I didn’t consider Tottenham at all*
Arsenal will grace the Emirates Stadium for their first match of the 2013/2014 Barclays Premier League campaign, with many people interested to see how an Arsenal side with ultimately no new faces, come up against Aston Villa, who are lead by the dangerous Christian Benteke.
Past Meetings between the two
- 23rd Feb 2013 – Arsenal 2 defeated Aston Villa 1
- 24th Nov 2012 – Aston Villa 0 drew with Arsenal 0
- 24 March 2012 – Arsenal 3 defeated Aston Villa 0
- 29 Jan 2012 – Arsenal 3 defeated Aston Villa 2
You can see from the previous meetings that the matches are often close, with exception to the 3-0 win to Arsenal in March of 2012. It’s either been a 1 goal win to Arsenal or a draw. This time around, anything can happen. The first day of the season always offers plenty. This time last season Arsenal played out a frustrating 0-0 draw against Sunderland at the Emirates. Lets hope they aren’t frustrated again.
Key Players
For Arsenal, there’s no doubt that if Santi Cazorla hits his passes, they’ll win. This man single footedly (I’m so funny) won the match for Arsenal last time around, scoring a classy brace. If he continues his form from last season, they’ll score a few goals.
For Villa, it has to be the man of the moment, Christian Benteke. He saved Villa from relegation last season, scoring around 16 goals to secure another season in the top flight. Surprisingly, he hasn’t been prized away from Villa Park, considering many top teams were seriously considering him, one of which being Arsenal.
Prediction
It’s going to be a tight game, but I think at home, with the crowd, and a solid preseason, Arsenal will continue to attack and get reward.
Arsenal 2 Aston Villa 0
Follow the FB page Arsenal News and Match Reviews 🙂
Twitter: @AFCGunnerNews
Jake's Opinion 