England Premier League
Sunday 31st March 2024
Kick off at 4:30pm GMT
Venue: Etihad Stadium
Match Preview:
It will feel strange for Pep Guardiola to be in charge of a side who as we enter April are in 3rd place but the good catch to this is that the Premier League is so competitive that only a point is the difference between 3rd and 1st. At the weekend, Guardiola's Manchester City side will face off against the team in 1st place, Arsenal, although by the time this game comes around Liverpool could be top if they are able to beat Brighton. Everything is so tight up there but we could see some change and for City they could end up with a nightmare scenario of witnessing Arsenal and Liverpool go four points clear of them.
City’s form has been good but not spectacular and three wins have been bookended by two draws against Chelsea and Liverpool. However City were always going to take a point at Anfield and that would have been seen as a decent result for them. At home the champions have 34 points from 42 and have won 10 and drawn 4, you have to wonder if drawing so many for them at home could come back on them? The club has won their last two games in a row at home with wins over Brentford and a good 3-1 win over derby rivals Manchester United.
Arsenal find themselves in first place with 64 points coming into this weekend and they have the best form in the league. The Gunners have scored 23 goals in their last 5 games alone although just managed to get past Brentford in their latest game with a 2-1 win. Arsenal has the joint best away record with 29 points from 14 games played and once we consider goal difference they actually have the best outright away record. The Gunners have managed to win their last 4 away games in a row with victories over Nottingham Forest, West Ham, Burnley and Sheffield United- their last loss on the road came on New Years Eve as they went down at Fulham.
Team News:
Manchester City: Ederson has a muscle injury- there have been conflicting reports that he could be assessed for this game but could also miss the next couple of weeks. Kyle Walker, Kevin De Bruyne, John Stones and Manuel Akanji all have niggling injuries but are expected to be fit and play
Arsenal: Gabriel has a knock but is expected to be fine, Gabriel Martinelli has a gashed leg and will be assessed. Bukayo Saka could be a doubt with a muscle injury and Jurrien Timber is out long term with a knee injury
Man City vs Arsenal Head to Head:
Last season Manchester City won this fixture 4-1.
Manchester City have won 8 of the last 10 meetings.
It’s been 9 years since Arsenal last beat Manchester City away from home.
Man City vs Arsenal Prediction:
We have seen some problems for Manchester City, they do not look at their absolute best and yet they still have a great chance to win the league. We have given up on City performing well in the first half now- it has been a problem for them for the last two years. This is where they can drop points and teams can get at them as we have recently seen with Chelsea. The second half is when City will and should explode into life and that could be a very long half for Arsenal- at the same time they will try and counter. The big question is have Arsenal learned from past mistakes? Is this the Arsenal side that have finally reached a new level? We're not quite sure and we are tempted to take on the home side at 1.91 that isn’t a price you see very often. City still has a better side than Arsenal but the Gunners are strong and determined and not to be taken lightly, we are in for an epic game much like the one we witnessed recently when City took on Liverpool. But we expect City to have too much at home, but they really must be at their best selves to get something from this fixture.
Man City vs Arsenal Betting Tips:
Manchester City to beat Arsenal at 1.91
Anytime goalscorer: Erling Haaland at 2.10
Anytime goalscorer: Jeremy Doku at 5.00
Anytime goalscorer: Kai Havertz at 4.33
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