After some below-par performances, Arsenal followed their home defeat of Man Utd (2-1) with a 3-0 win over Wigan in the League Cup, courtesy of their younger players.

While Villa have not beaten Arsenal in their last 19 meetings since 1998, they have taken draws from their last two visits to the Emirates stadium and Arsene Wenger will be wary of the threat of Villa.

Martin O’Neill’s side have two losses in a row, both against North East clubs (at Newcastle 0-2 and at home to Middlesbrough 1-2), but in both games, Villa could have won if not for some basic defensive errors.

Despite the wins over Man Utd and Wigan, Arsenal may not be over their bad patch and might be nervous of this game as a result.

Arsenal have had a 1-4-2 record at halftime in their last 7 league games, showing that they often start games quite cautiously and this should be no different.

Villa, themselves have been drawing at halftime in each of their last 3 games and the draw may be the target for the Birmingham side; with both sides seemingly unwilling to go all out in the opening half of recent games, the half-time draw could be the option at $2.38 from Bet365.

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Bet: Half-time - Draw Odds: $2.38 Stake: 4.5pts Bookies: Bet365

Match Betting Previews 15-16 November 2008 >>> Premiership: Arsenal v Aston Villa - Blackburn v Sunderland - Bolton v Liverpool - Fulham v Spurs - Man United v Stoke - Newcastle v Wigan - WBA v Chelsea - West Ham v Portsmouth - Everton v Middlesbrough - Hull v Man City La Liga: Valencia v Gijon - Atletico v Deportivo - Recreativo v Barcelona Serie A: Palermo v Inter - Milan v Chievo - Roma v Lazio Ligue 1: Lyon v Bordeaux - Rennes v Monaco Bundesliga: Leverkusen v Schalke - Hertha v Hamburg