Arsenal vs Manchester City
This Premier League match brings together the master and apprentice as Pep Guardiola’s former number 2 in Mikel Arteta welcomes his old boss to the Emirates.
Arsenal and City are two the top flight’s elite but there is a million miles between them at the moment. So if Arteta can mastermind a victory over his mentor, it will count as a genuine shock.
The Sky Blues have plunged to odds of 1.02 here at SBOTOP to take back the title after a breathtaking run of 17 wins in all competitions that has taken them 10 points clear at the top.
Meanwhile, the Gunners have shown promise throughout the campaign but have struggled to find consistency and they currently sit in 10th place – eight points behind a Champions League spot.
Arsenal need to shoot straight and hit the bullseye if they are to take the Sky Blues down on Sunday.
Talking Points
Are the Gunners really beginning to fire?
It hasn’t been an easy watch for Arsenal fans this season as their heroes have drifted further away from the top of the Premier League, but at least their main man seems to be hitting some form.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored a brilliant hat-trick as the Gunners beat Leeds 4-2 last week and both he and strike partner Alexandre Lacazette have now hit eight goals for the season from 20 games.
That’s not a bad return for a Premier League forward but Aubameyang is one of the very best and he will expect more.
He should have scored in Arsenal’s Europa League match against Benfica on Thursday night but he missed a 1v1, and it was left to Bukayo Saka to equalise and earn the Gunners a 1-1 draw.
The away goal makes it a good result and Arteta will hope his team can take their form into the weekend.
But they have been in this position before. Their last little run of positive results with wins over Southampton and Newcastle were followed by defeats to Wolves and Aston Villa and this Sunday’s game raises the spectre that another loss may be just around the corner.
Young forward Emile Smith-Row has received rave reviews as he has emerged as a potential star of the future.
He’s already made four assists and has been compared with Gunners legend Robert Pires, but he faces competition for his place from new recruit Martin Odegaard who is on loan from Real Madrid until the summer.
Wing-back Kieran Tierney and midfield star Thomas Partey are injured and they are both big misses, particularly in a game against the runaway leaders.
Aguero and De Bruyne back in contention for Sky Blues
The most harrowing aspect for the chasing pack of Manchester City’s amazing winning run is that they have done it without their two biggest stars in Sergio Aguero and Kevin De Bruyne. But now they are both back in the squad and are ready to go.
In Aguero’s absence, the Sky Blues’ midfielders have stepped up to plug the scoring gap as Ilkay Gundogan (11), Riyad Mahrez (6), and Phil Foden (6) shared 23 goals.
Mahrez was in sensational form in City’s 3-1 victory over Everton on Wednesday night and he is sure to play some part at the Emirates.
Incidentally, Manchester City have just told the British press that they are yet to make an approach for Lionel Messi as the Argentine genius enters the closing stages of his contract at Barcelona.
Read into that what you want!
History
The Gunners have had the better of the Arsenal vs Manchester City results in the Premier League era, winning 27 to City’s 19 and there have been 10 draws.
But Manchester City have been clawing back the deficit recently, winning five of the last six.
The Sky Blues have already beaten Arsenal twice this season – 1-0 in the league back in October, and 4-1 in the EFL Cup quarterfinal in December.
Lacazette equalised Gabriel Jesus’ opener, but City ran riot in the second half with goals from Mahrez, Foden, and Aymeric Laporte.
City’s recent form has been out of this world and it’s no surprise that the Arsenal vs Manchester City betting odds are pointing squarely at an away victory.
As well as embarking on a record breaking 17-match winning run, the Sky Blues are unbeaten in 24 and have won their last 10 on the road.
Betting Tip
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Arsenal vs Manchester City | First Half 1X2 Manchester City @ 2.13 |
| February 22, 00:30 (GMT+8) |
I am basically looking for the value in this match. And with City in such devastating form along with an extra day over Arsenal to recover from their midweek exploits, I’m backing them to catch the Gunners cold.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR ( ) BETS ARE WORTH: |
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 = €20 (Highly confident) |
= €10 (CONFIDENT) |
= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT) |
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Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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