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The all Premier League tie between Arsenal and Aston Villa on Sunday looks to be one of the ties of the 4^th round and one that should not be missed, writes Christopher Barlow.

Arsenal got the better of Leeds in the third round with a Thierry Henry inspired win for the hosts, while Villa overcame Bristol Rovers 3-1 in which was a impressive showing by the Midlands outfit.

Arsenal have been struggling with injuries of late and they will be desperately trying to put their defeat at the hands of Manchester United out of their minds. Wenger’s decision to play without an out and out full back against United shows the current injury crisis at the club.

Bacary Sagna looks set to make a much anticipated return to the squad in time for the match on Sunday and this will provide a massive boost for Arsenal, especially when dealing with the pace of Villa’s wingers. Another who looks set to return is the influential Mikel Arteta who missed the Manchester United game with a groin strain, two big positives for Arsenal when planning for the weekend.

Wenger will have to make a decision on whether to start Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain after his explosive display against United. Wenger’s decision to substitute the winger caused uproar among the loyal supporters, especially given another disappointing display from his replacement, Andrey Arshavin.

On-loan club legend Thierry Henry is set to have a fitness test before the game on Sunday to decide his involvement in the match while Robin Van Persie is set to again lead their attack.

Aston Villa’s only new injury concern is the loss of Charles N’Zogbia due to a heel injury, and so he joins Carlos Cuellar and Chris Herd on the injury list.

The 3-2 win over local rivals Wolves has boosted the confidence of Alex McLeish’s men and they will go to The Emirates feeling they can cause a big upset and progress into the next round.

The influence of Robbie Keane has already reaped rewards for the Midlands club and his display against Wolves, his former employers, means McLeish may again partner him with Darren Bent to spearhead Villa’s attack.

Gabby Agbonlahor looks set to have recovered from a sickness bug that forced him to be taken off at half time on the weekend and his pace on the wing, I feel, can be a major weapon against Arsenal, especially given their current full back crisis.

Stephen Ireland is also back in contention for a place in the starting line up after sitting out the Wolves win due to a hamstring problem. He is a player who is finally starting to show glimpses of his best form and is managing to transfer this into big game situations, something he hopefully replicates on Sunday.

Match Winner

Arsenal are favourites in this encounter and are best priced at 1.62 (8/13) with William Hill to progress to the next round.

Aston Villa are best priced at a massive 6.00 (5/1) with Betfred to win the game while a draw is best priced at 4.00 (3/1) with SkyBet.

First Goalscorer

After his explosive display against Manchester United, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is a man in form and if Wenger decides to start his young starlet he is a main threat to Aston Villa’s domestic ambitions. He is best priced at 8.00 (7/1) with SkyBet to score first and could be a good punt come Sunday.

After Robbie Keane’s superb brace against Wolves, his immediate impact has been a breath of fresh air to the Villa squad and he is best priced with Bet365 at 12.00 (11/1) to score the first goal.

View the rest of this betting tip at: http://www.bigfreebet.com/previews/2012/arsenal-v-aston-villa-fa-cup-betting-tips.html

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