Chris Sutton is making predictions for all 380 Premier League games this season, and his call on Arsenal against Aston Villa is as one-sided as they come. He said: "There's only one winner with this," and added that Villa had a slow start last season, have lost big players and he thinks Arsenal are going to run all over teams this season.

Sutton's view on Arsenal and Aston Villa

Arsenal's case is not hard to build from the form in front of them. They have won their last five matches, including a 3-0 Community Shield win over Manchester City, and they finished first in the Premier League in 2025 with 85 points.

Sutton also said he thinks they are going to get "better and better", which fits the way Arsenal have started this season. The Champions League run adds to that picture too, with a perfect 8 from 8 in the group stage or league phase and a 23-4 goal record.

Villa are being judged through a rougher lens. Sutton's point about their slow start last season and the players they have lost is the reason he sees this as a mismatch rather than a tight early-season pick.

Thatcher's faith in Brighton

Ben Thatcher, a lifelong Brighton fan, is coming at his prediction from a different angle. He accepts the exits, saying, "We loved Danny, because he really fitted into our style of play and he had such a great season last year," and, "We will miss Van Hecke at the back too, but the thing with Brighton is that we always bounce back."

That confidence rests on how Brighton have handled turnover before. Thatcher said he trusts Tony Bloom, and his faith in the club's recruitment model is backed by what they have done recently: Brighton finished 8th in the Premier League in 2025 with 53 points.

He is not pretending the summer was quiet. Brighton sold Danny Welbeck and Jan Paul van Hecke, but Thatcher's line is that the club have a habit of replacing what they lose and moving on quickly.

He also said he would not worry right now, and hopes Brighton can stay in the top 10 again. The club are back in the Europa Conference League, and their league performance will have to hold up alongside that run when the fixtures start piling up.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →