Premier League tips: Arsenal v Villa best bets from Phil Thompson

* All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widgets, while odds in copy are accurate at time of publishing but subject to change.

The Premier League rolls mercilessly on and who better to find sense in the madness than Paddy Power football ambassador Phil Thompson? The Liverpool God returns to lock horns with one of Paddy’s football traders and it’s brainy Brian McDonnell who is in the hot seat this weekend.

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First up for the lads is to try and work out what’s going to happen as Arsenal face Aston Villa at The Emirates on Friday at 8pm. Villa got six points against the Gunners last season but do our premium pair think they’ll win again?

Friday 8pm: Arsenal v Aston Villa

TV: Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League

THOMMO: Well, fresh from Monday night, what can you say? They scrape a draw in the end after leading and it will have felt like a win because 95th minute, last kick of the game, Alexandre Lacazette. I thought they were dreadful. I thought they were really poor in how they handled going 1-0 ahead and that was awful, but it keeps the momentum going.

They’re unbeaten in six in all competitions but they’ve scored their fewest goals [at this stage], seven goals, since 1986/87 so it is a problem. Even though they scored two on Monday you can see it’s just not happening. Obviously, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang seems to be back in on the scoresheet again and Villa, I think Arsenal are actually playing them at a good time.

They’ve lost three of their last four away, their only win was against Manchester United. They’re five points worse off than last season. I can see Arsenal, which will be music to Brian’s ears with him being a Gooner, I do expect Arsenal to Win. But, Both Teams to Score as well guys.

I’m looking at 2-1. I don’t think it’s going to be a goal-fest by any means but 2-1 to the Gooners. A goalscorer is easy – Aubameyang to Score Anytime. He does seem to be on a hot streak and he will be at the top of the goal-scoring markets, but putting that together with Both Teams to Score and Aubameyang to be on the scoresheet, I think it will bump up your price a bit.

BRIAN: I’m not as optimistic as Phil is. That game on Monday night was just so bizarre. First 10 minutes, Arsenal were outstanding. They had intensity and a high press, Aubameyang did more running than I’ve ever seen him do in an Arsenal shirt. They got the early goal that they were looking for and then it just all went flat, didn’t it?

It didn’t look like they knew whether to go forward or to sit back and in the end they couldn’t do either. They couldn’t keep the ball and they allowed Palace to grow into the game and as it went on they were punished for a couple of individual mistakes and they conceded twice. If that’s Manchester City of Liverpool taking the lead early they have the confidence to do the same press and have the same intensity and go on to score three, four, five goals.

The confidence just isn’t there for Arsenal at the moment. The relief was clear. Mentality wise, and for confidence, it is a better draw getting it that way than not being able to break them down. But for this game against Villa I wouldn’t like to back Arsenal at odds on given the way they’ve been playing. There’s too much inconsistency.

Villa are a good side, I know you say they’ve lost three out of the last four away from home but they’re a better team than Palace, I think. They’re a better team than Burnley and Norwich who Arsenal only scraped by through a goal to nil. I do think Both Teams Will Score.

I think Aubameyang is in form and when he’s in form he looks like scoring and not only is he scoring goals but what he was missing last season was a work ethic and I was impressed with that on Monday. I think Aubameyang will Score Anytime but I’m not confident enough to back Arsenal at odds-on so I’m going to go with Villa to get a result here. That’s Villa to Win or Draw Double Chance and Both Teams To Score.