Pre-match thread. Aston Villa vs Arsenal. 21st July, kick off at 8.15pm.

[mcgrath_85]

Such an important match! We’re gonna have to do something we haven’t done all season.

[mcgrath_85]

Need a huge performance from everyone, but especially Jack! Could do with a goal or two from him really.

[nordenvillain]

An extremely nervy 1-0 win. Arsenal introduce a number of usual first teamers midway in the 2nd half onwards and we defend a la Custer's Last Stand. I shall chance my health and watch every single moment.

[mallo]

Just get a result Villa - in any way shape or form. Just fight. Watford is an odd one - why sack Pearson with 2 games to go? Surely that's got to be good for us.

[Dr Butler]

need a result and so I'm going for a 2 nil win.....Luiz and Grealish....onwards to Showdown Sunday

UTV
The Doc

[TonyD]

I think it could end up a draw.   

[mattjpa]

The bookies currently running on Watford 7/1 and draw at 9/4. Villa win and draw both 13/5. Randomly, the Watford draw odds look very short.

[AsTallAsLions]

Clear eyes, full hearts.

[Villan82]

Please win. Please. Fight for everything, work harder than they work and be brave.

UTV.

[SoccerHQ]

It's probably my paranoia but it always feels like the Sky 4 (or 6 or whatever it is this month) raise their game against the Villa like they want to keep us down. We seem to take more merciless beatings. On the other hand we just shit the bed when we play them.
So either way Villa 0 Arsenal 4.

We just stand off them way too much, you see v Chelsea how we didn't bother tackling and just let them get in as many crosses as they wished. Then a week later West Ham got into them and scored three times.

Dosen't help our midfield is really poor at pressing collectively as a unit and can get bypassed so easily and we don't have a forward with good pace and workrate as say West Ham do with Antonio.

One other thing that's really annoyed me all season is how mediocre our corners have been as that's always a good way of getting a goal v a top 6 team as a few of them are poor at defending crosses.

You look back to how poor we were under Lambert generally yet with the pace we had on the break that could work well away to likes of Arsenal and Liverpool and we got wins v them.

We just don't believe enough in ourselves or our gameplan compared to say Sheffield United when they go into these fixtures. Hopefully we've saving the result for when it really matters which is certainly tonight.

[SoccerHQ]

I have a horrible feeling that Watford are going to turn over Citeh thus making our game meaningless.

Sacking Pearson may have been a masterstroke.

They're 8/1 to win and it's 9/2 for draw so any half full type knows what to do....

[Brazilian Villain]

If we don’t beat Arsenal we’re down

I think I would take a Villa draw and heavy Watford loss if offered now.

A Villa win would be optimal but this wouldn't be the worst outcome. Would leave Watford having to win at Arsenal to be sure of staying up.

[BoVillan esq]

We have to win this, 2-1 Villa, can't trust anything to chance in other games, a must win.

[Des Little]

We have to beat one of the Money 6 one day.  Let’s make it today.

[SoccerHQ]

Hopefully Watford lose 3 or 4 nil and Dave Boulton on PA announces the result as we're coming off from the warm up. That will be all you need for the team talk.