Aston Villa and Arsenal finished near neighbours last season -- 4th and 1st of 20 -- so rank alone splits nothing here. Against the block the other keeps: Aston Villa takes 1.90 points a game, Arsenal 1.10 -- the block form is Aston Villa's.
Aston Villa: 39 league matches in the bank, 1 from this season and the rest from last season. Arsenal: 39 league matches in the bank, 1 from this season and the rest from last season.
The question this step asks
Step one is THE TABLE: rank against rank, and the blocks -- the table cut into a top, middle and bottom block, drawn from last season's final standings. The question is not just where each side stands but how it behaves against the company the other keeps: does it play to rank against the blocks above and below, or come apart?
The two sides
Aston Villa -- at home
Where it stands
Stands 17th of 20 after 1 game, with 0 points -- too few games yet to mean much. Last season it finished 4th of 20 in this division.
Its block
By last season's final table it sits in the top block (1st to 6th). Blocks are drawn from last season because the current table is only 1 game old.
Against today's opponent's block
Today it faces a side from the top block (1st to 6th). Against that block it has won 6, drew 1, lost 3 of 10 -- 19 points of 30. At home against them: won 5 of 5. Away against them: won 1 of 5.
Across all the blocks
Across the blocks, over the last two seasons: against the top block won 6, drew 1, lost 3 of 10 (1.90 a game); against the middle block won 6, drew 3, lost 6 of 15 (1.40 a game); against the bottom block won 7, drew 4, lost 3 of 14 (1.79 a game).
Arsenal -- away
Where it stands
Stands 8th of 20 after 1 game, with 3 points -- too few games yet to mean much. Last season it finished 1st of 20 in this division.
Its block
By last season's final table it sits in the top block (1st to 6th). Blocks are drawn from last season because the current table is only 1 game old.
Against today's opponent's block
Today it faces a side from the top block (1st to 6th). Against that block it has won 3, drew 2, lost 5 of 10 -- 11 points of 30. At home against them: won 1 of 5. Away against them: won 2 of 5.
Across all the blocks
Across the blocks, over the last two seasons: against the top block won 3, drew 2, lost 5 of 10 (1.10 a game); against the middle block won 11, drew 3, lost 0 of 14 (2.57 a game); against the bottom block won 12, drew 2, lost 0 of 14 (2.71 a game); against sides new to the division won 1, drew 0, lost 0 of 1 (3.00 a game).
Built 06:33 from matches completed before
kick-off. Every figure is an observed count with its denominator —
not a forecast, and nothing here is a tip or a selection.