Premier League champions Manchester City will welcome Arsenal to the Etihad Stadium on Sunday.
Pep Guardiola’s title-chasers are short-priced favourites at 3/10 to beat Unai Emery’s men, while the Londoners are valued at a massive 15/2, with the draw priced at 52/10.
*Please note that this article was written prior to Premier League fixtures on 29 & 30 January.
To Win
Man City 3/10
Draw 52/10
Arsenal 15/2
Manchester City
Manchester City are continuing their pursuit of four separate trophies and are aiming to repeat the triumphs of last season as they strive to become the first team since Manchester United in 2008-09 to retain the league title. The Citizens are currently second in the table, lying just four points behind leaders Liverpool with 15 games of the campaign still remaining.
At the time of writing – before visiting Newcastle United on Tuesday – Guardiola’s side have won eight games in a row in all competitions, scoring 33 goals in the process. They have also gone six games without conceding a goal, with their last coming against Liverpool at the start of January.
Looking at their home form this year of five wins in five matches, beating Liverpool 2-1, Rotherham United 7-0, Burton Albion 9-0, Wolves 3-0 and Burnley 5-0, it’s easy to see why they are short favourites at 3/10. If that still isn’t convincing, Guardiola’s side have beaten Arsenal in each of their last four meetings, scoring 11 goals while conceding just once.
Bernardo Silva, one of City’s standout performers this campaign, has scored in back-to-back Premier League meetings against the Gunners. Visit www.hollywoodbets.net for betting on the Portuguese star and others to score anytime in the match.
Arsenal
After being dumped out of the FA Cup on their own turf by Manchester United last Friday, Arsenal face another Manchester club with fear of their top-four hopes taking a hit as they visit reigning champions Manchester City, who have beaten them in each of their previous four meetings. The Gunners are currently three points behind fourth-placed Chelsea and level with United on 44 points, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side ready to overtake Emery’s men on the league table if they slip up.
Arsenal’s last league victory at the Etihad Stadium came in January 2015 when a penalty from Santi Cazorla and header from Olivier Giroud secured a fully-deserved win for the north London side. The following campaign saw the Gunners come back twice to earn a 2-2 draw in Manchester, but they suffered consecutive defeats on their next two visits to the Etihad, losing 2-1 and 3-1. Emery’s men will be desperate to avoid a third consecutive loss away to City.
Arsenal’s away form coming into this game is a huge worry for Emery as the Gunners are without a win in their last five Premier League matches on the road. They drew with Manchester United (2-2) and Brighton (1-1) and lost to Southampton (3-2), Liverpool (5-1) and West Ham (1-0). The signs aren’t looking good for the north London club for Sunday, but with the terrifying duo of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette, Arsenal will believe they can cause real damage to their opponents. Emery will be hoping to have Croatia international Ivan Perisic in his squad – the Inter Milan winger is reportedly keen on joining the Gunners before the transfer deadline passes.
Probable line-ups:
Man City: 4-3-3
Ederson; Walker, Stones, Laporte, Mendy; David Silva, Fernandinho, Bernardo Silva; Sterling, Aguero, Sane.
Arsenal: 4-2-3-1
Leno; Maitland-Niles, Mustafi, Koscielny, Kolasinac; Xhaka, Torreira; Iwobi, Ramsey, Aubameyang; Lacazette.
Prediction: Sterling to Score Anytime & Man City to Win (14/10)
It can be quite tricky when writing these games before knowing the outcome of their midweek matches, especially with the possibility of both teams boosting their squads before the transfer deadline passes, but regardless of what happens then, I can still only see one outcome and that’s a Manchester City victory. Guardiola’s side know they cannot afford to slip up here. With very little to offer on the home win, I suggest using Hollywoodbets’ Price Boosts and Specials and jump on Raheem Sterling to Score Anytime and City to win.
Chad Nagel
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