Who will win the clash of the giants in the Premier League?
It’s on! The two currently best teams in England face each other in a direct duel on Sunday afternoon. Although it would be presumptuous to already declare the title race in the Premier League on the 5th matchday, the match between champions and runners-up is about very important points and about making a statement to a direct competitor. In the following paragraphs, we have analyzed for you what speaks for a tip for the home side or for the guests before the Manchester City v Arsenal encounter.
Curiously, both teams come from a goalless Champions League week. The Gunners brought a 0-0 draw from Bergamo, while ManCity also failed to get past a boring goalless draw at home against Inter Milan in the rematch of the 2023 final. However, while the Londoners did not play until Thursday and did not return from Italy until Friday, Guardiola’s team have been focusing on this top game since Thursday. The differences in terms of match preparation must therefore be taken into account in the Manchester City v Arsenal prediction in any case.
In addition, the Citizens still have something to make up for against their toughest opponents in recent years, because in the previous season, the Skyblues remained winless in the first and second legs against Arteta’s team. Nevertheless, it was enough for the fourth championship in a row. Haaland and Co. are currently leading the table again in the home of football, so the lower odds on the home win seem understandable before the kick-off of the Manchester City v Arsenal game.
Manchester City – Statistics & current form
There are indications that Pep Guardiola’s era at Manchester City could come to an end after this season. But the Catalan football teacher, who is obsessed with ambition and perfection, still wants to achieve all his sporting goals before then. Among these is, among other things, the fifth consecutive Premier League championship.
In any case, the Citizens can be very satisfied with the way the season in England’s top flight has gone so far. The Skyblues are the only team to have won all four league games. If Sunday’s game between Manchester City and Arsenal once again proves to be an accurate prediction of the 2023 Champions League winner, the gap between them and their current closest rivals from the Thames could already be five points.
Haaland no longer takes the Premier League seriously at all
The odds are pretty good, because on the one hand, Guardiola’s team has won their last 13 (!) Premier League games. On the other hand, the serial champions could become the first team in the country to win the first five league games in five different seasons.
Erling Haaland, who has already broken a new scoring record, currently has a major influence in this regard. No other player in England’s top flight has scored nine goals in the league in the first four matchdays as the Norwegian has done. In the last three PL games alone, the former Dortmund player has scored eight goals. The Scandinavian force of nature is now only the second player in PL history after Luis Suarez to score at least twice in four consecutive matches. If Haaland scores the important 1-0 for his team on Sunday afternoon, Manchester City vs. Arsenal attractive odds in the range of 4.00 can be found at Winamax.
Arsenal – Statistics & current form
Like Manchester City, Arsenal Football Club had to settle for a draw to start the new Champions League phase during the week. Away at reigning Europa League champions Atalanta Bergamo, the Londoners only managed a goalless draw.
In their fifth competitive game this season, the players of coach Mikel Arteta remained unbeaten and once again proved their outstanding defensive skills. In the aforementioned five matches, the capital club only conceded a single goal. Three of the four successes were celebrated with a clean sheet. No wonder that we are considering the odds for under-goals before the top clash between Manchester City and Arsenal at the weekend. For example, Sunmaker is offering 1.81 for Under 2.5.
Will Arsenal’s impressive away streak end?
In addition to their remarkable defensive strength, their past performances away from home, which have been strong as bears, should not be ignored. In fact, they have not trailed in any of their last 11 Premier League away matches. Twelve consecutive PL matches in opposing stadiums without falling behind would be a new, sole record!
To complete the picture, it must be mentioned that the offensive play is currently a bit lame, certainly due to the absence of captain Odegaard. Six goals scored in five competitive games is no glorious record for Kai Havertz and Co. Relying solely on their own defense at the Etihad Stadium does not seem particularly promising.
In our view, therefore, there is a lot to be said for the home side, who still have a score to settle with the runners-up from the previous season. If you still think that betting on the Citizens to win is too risky, you can also get decent odds with the combined bet 1X & Under 3.5 for the game Manchester City against Arsenal and at the same time cover many eventualities, such as a 0:0 or 1:1 draw. In the Betano app, individual approaches can be combined using the Bet Builder and bet as a match combo.
Manchester City – Arsenal direct comparison / H2H record
As mentioned several times, Arsenal took a total of four out of a possible six points against the league leaders in the last Premier League season in the first and second legs. However, this should not hide the fact that Pep Guardiola has inflicted many defeats on his former assistant Mikel Arteta in the recent past. For example, the Citizens have not lost any of their last nine PL home games against the Gunners, celebrating seven wins instead. In five of these seven successes, an Under 4.5 add-on would have come true.
Manchester City – Arsenal Tip
The duel of superlatives in England promises a lot of excitement, drama and high-class football. When Manchester City with teacher Pep Guardiola meets Arsenal with apprentice Mikel Arteta, hardly anything is left to be desired. Whereby… Many goals are not necessarily to be expected on Sunday afternoon at the Etihad Stadium. On the one hand, because the teams know each other very well and have already neutralized each other at an outstanding level in the past. On the other hand, against the background of the recent performances of both teams. In the CL, only a 0-0 was the result in each case.
Nevertheless, in this top match of the fifth PL matchday, we see advantages for the Citizens, who have their own fans behind them, left the pitch as winners 13 times in a row in the league and can also rely on Erling Haaland’s goal-scoring qualities. The Gunners have probably the most stable defence in Europe at the moment, but in many cases the punch is lacking going forward.
We have therefore decided to place a bet on the home win in the duel between Manchester City and Arsenal in connection with a maximum of four goals in the course of the game. At Merkur Bets, we have found a 2.18 in the top, which we play with five units.
