Man City v Arsenal – Preview, Predictions and Best Bets

Man City host Arsenal The Gunners kept two clean sheets against City last season, winning 1-0 at home and drawing 0-0 at the Etihad Stadium. These results ended a 12-match losing streak in the league to Pep Guardiola’s side.

Man City Form

City’s last 25 league matches have produced 22 wins and three draws. They narrowly beat Arsenal to the title on the final day of last season, followed by a 2-1 win over Man Utd in the FA Cup final. This season started with a victory on penalties in the Community Shield after a 1-1 draw against Man Utd at Wembley.

In the league, City have made a perfect start, with four wins from four matches. They won 2-0 at Chelsea and thrashed Ipswich 4-1 (3.34 xG). A 3-1 win at West Ham saw them produce 3.00 xG, with Erling Haaland scoring back-to-back hat-tricks. Last weekend, Haaland scored twice in a 2-1 home win over Brentford. City drew 0-0 at home against Inter Milan in the Champions League on Wednesday, creating 22 shots and 2.35 xG.

Man City Team News

Oscar Bobb and Nathan Ake remain sidelined and will not feature in the upcoming weeks. Kevin De Bruyne was substituted at half-time against Inter Milan and is a major doubt for this key match.

Ilkay Gundogan is on standby to replace De Bruyne if needed. Phil Foden may start in place of Savinho on the right, and Mateo Kovacic, Kyle Walker, and John Stones are all pushing for recalls after being rested midweek.

Man City Motivation

City will aim to win this match but are unlikely to take unnecessary risks that could lead to defeat.

A draw would be an acceptable result, maintaining their two-point lead over Arsenal. Guardiola may opt for a cautious team selection and be content with avoiding a loss.

Arsenal Form

Arsenal ended last season with six consecutive league wins, although it wasn’t enough to secure the title. They had impressive victories during that run, including a 5-0 win over Chelsea, a 3-2 triumph at Spurs, and a 1-0 victory against Man Utd at Old Trafford. This season began with a 2-0 home win against Wolves.

A crucial 2-0 win at Aston Villa followed, with both goals coming in 11 minutes during the second half. With ten men, Arsenal then let a lead slip in a 1-1 home draw against Brighton. However, they bounced back by beating Tottenham 1-0 on Sunday, despite being outshot 15-7 and allowing just 0.71 xG.

Arsenal Team News

Declan Rice is available for league action after serving a one-match suspension. Jorginho is expected to drop to the bench following the win over Tottenham. Takehiro Tomiyasu, Mikel Merino, and captain Martin Odegaard are all ruled out.

Riccardo Calafiori is available after recovering from a knock, but Oleksandr Zinchenko remains a doubt. Jurrien Timber is set to start at left-back, while Leandro Trossard could again fill Odegaard’s attacking midfield role.

Arsenal Motivation

A loss would be damaging for Arsenal, as it would give Man City a four-point lead after just five rounds of the season.

This is a “must not lose” match for Arsenal. They may adopt a similar strategy to last season and aim for a goalless draw at the Etihad.

Key Stats

Man City have won 22 of their last 25 league matches (3 draws).

Man City have kept 6 clean sheets in their last 11 matches.

Arsenal have won 9 of their last 10 matches.

Arsenal’s Havertz has scored 11 goals in his last 18 EPL appearances.

Arsenal are unbeaten in their last 2 matches against Man City (1 win, 1 draw).

Verdict

A cagey match is expected. Will Saliba and Gabriel manage to contain Haaland once again? This fixture could see fewer than 2.5 goals.