In the past several editions of the Premier League, City and Arsenal have been the prime suspects for the trophy. Games between them have always been labelled as ”title-deciding” and for good reason. While it is still early days in this season, this match could sway the favour in one direction or the other and give one of the teams here an advantage in the race for the Premier League.
Manchester City Team News
Yes, City won their fourth consecutive title last season, but in the meantime, one has to look that they were just 2 points ahead of Arsenal in the final standing. With such tight margins, it comes as no surprise that this fixture could be pivotal for Pep Guardiola and his team. Speaking of them – Manchester City have had a perfect start to their Premier League season and have won all of their fixtures thus far. Their most recent win against Brentford was the first one in which the team did not win with at least a 2-goal margin. Yet, during the midweek, Inter scrapped a draw at the Etihad in the Champions League and proved that with tenacity and some luck one can get a result here.
Arsenal Team News
Arsenal’s midweek fixture also saw them face Italian opposition but in Italy. Much like Manchester City, who finished 0-0 with Inter, Arsenal were unable to break the deadlock with Atalanta and ended with the same 0-0 result. On the domestic front, Mikel Arteta’s side has started strong but made 1 mistake against Brighton which cost his team 2 points. Somewhat interestingly, all of Arsenal’s fixtures from this season have produced a shy amount of goals – under 2.5 each. This is a stark contrast to the team we are used to seeing and the results that The Gunners are usually involved with.
Head-to-Head-Games
Looking at the last 5 head-to-head matches between City and Arsenal, we can see a slight advantage for Pep Guardiola’s side – wins in the last 5 fixtures. But the important trend to note is that City have been unable to secure a win over The Gunners in any of their last 3 meetings, 2 of which Mikel Arteta’s side managed to win, even if one of them went to extra time. The most recent 2 Premier League games have also featured just 1 goal across them.
| Rank | Teams | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goal difference | Points | Current form |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | Manchester City | 17 | 8 | 3 | 6 | 2 | 27 | LWDLL |
| Rank | Teams | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goal difference | Points | Current form |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Arsenal FC | 16 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 14 | 30 | WWWDD |
Manchester City – Arsenal Betting Prediction
This will be a tense match in my opinion, due to its importance in the long run for the Premier League title. Neither team will want to lose here and I suspect we will not see many goals here. My pick is for under 2.5 goals here as this has been the case in recent meetings between Manchester City and Arsenal. Yes, it is still early days in the season, but I doubt any team will want to go all out here and risk creating a gap early on. Thus, my expectations are for a repeat of the 2 most recent games between City and The Gunners – tactical battles with few goals and more emphasis on stability.
Betting Tip: Under 2.5 Goals
Bookmaker: BC.Game
Odds: 1.78
BC.Game
Place your bet on Manchester City – Arsenal at BC.Game