Will the Gunners pay a lesson again against a top team?
Two of the in-form teams in the English Premier League at present meet for an interesting and tasty New Year’s Day brunch on Saturday lunchtime. Arsenal welcome Manchester City and are treated as clear underdogs according to the odds. The extent to which the current leaders are favourites can certainly be debated, after all the Gunners have recently celebrated four wins in a row and scored an impressive 14 goals in the process.
Nevertheless, when it comes to form, the Citizens are currently unrivalled. The defending champions have won ten consecutive Premier League games, putting themselves in a very promising position in the battle for the English championship. Now they face a real favourite opponent in London, whom they have beaten nine times in a row in the domestic league.
In addition, there will be no master versus apprentice, Guardiola versus Arteta, on the sidelines this time, as the former Pep assistant has tested positive and will therefore have to watch the match from home. At the latest, this makes it absolutely understandable why a successful prediction on the Sky Blues is considered much more likely between Arsenal and Manchester City.
Arsenal – Statistics & current form
At Arsenal Football Club, there is currently jubilation, hilarity and cheer. After a few years of gloom and mediocrity, it seems as if coach Mikel Arteta has finally managed to form a team that meets his own high standards, but at the same time embodies the club’s typical DNA. With a host of young talents, the capital club is causing a stir in the Premier League this season.
The Gunners have won eleven of the 19 games they have played so far. Most recently, they even celebrated four successes in a row, in which keeper Ramsdale only had to make one save, but the attack around the youngsters Smith-Rowe, Saka or Martinelli scored 14 times (!). Arsenal won the most recent match 5-0 at Norwich City, before the scheduled match against Wolverhampton had to be cancelled two days later due to several positive cases at the opponent’s side.
Are Arsenal finally upsetting a “big one”?
On New Year’s Day, the fourth-placed team in the table will be looking to end a losing streak against the Citizens that has now lasted nine Premier League games. The Londoners are relying primarily on their strong home record this season (seven wins, one draw, one defeat), which is currently good enough for second place in the separate home table. In addition, the statistic that the Gunners have lost only one of the past ten games on the first day of the new year serves as an encouragement for what is probably the most difficult home game of the year.
This is precisely the crux of the matter, because despite the very positive interim result on balance, it must be taken into account that the young Arteta team is still finding it extremely difficult against the top teams of the English top flight in 2021/22.
In the course of the season, for example, they suffered defeats against Chelsea, Manchester United, Liverpool and also in the first leg against Manchester City. Three of these four defeats came with at least a two-goal difference, which is why we can well imagine betting on a handicap victory for the visitors between Arsenal and Manchester City on Saturday. Kolasinac is still missing due to injury, Aubameyang no longer plays a role for disciplinary reasons and with Chambers, Tomiyasu, Soares or Maitland-Niles, the Gunners also have some positive cases in their ranks. But perhaps most serious is the absence of their leader – coach Arteta.
Predicted Arsenal line-up:
Ramsdale; White, Holding, Gabriel, Tierney; Xhaka, Partey; Saka, Odegaard, Smith Rowe; Lacazette
Last matches played by Arsenal:
Premier League
12/26 2021 – Norwich 0 – 5 Arsenal London
Carabao Cup
12/21 2021 – Arsenal London 5 – 1 Sunderland
Premier League
12/18 2021 – Leeds 1 – 4 Arsenal London
12/15 2021 – Arsenal London 2 – 0 West Ham
12/11 2021 – Arsenal London 3 – 0 Southampton
Manchester City – Statistics & current form
Manchester City are undoubtedly the measure of all things on the island at the moment. While their toughest rivals Chelsea and Liverpool have lost ground recently, the Citizens continue to march from victory to victory. The defending champions have now won ten Premier League games in a row. Interesting: Whenever the Citizens have won ten consecutive PL games, they have also won game number eleven! A good omen for New Year’s Day?
If you believe the other statistics, then taking advantage of the odds on an away win in the Arsenal versus Manchester City clash is virtually without alternative. Seven of the last eight games on New Year’s Day have been won by the Sky Blues.
Manchester City especially like to win against Arsenal
In addition, City have picked up the maximum haul of twelve points from their last four away games at the Emirates Stadium. Even more impressively, looking back at the past five appearances at the Gunners, Guardiola’s side have always scored in the opening quarter of an hour. For this reason, among others, it can be considered to make a prediction on the double HT2/FT2 result between Arsenal and Manchester City. We would also not rule out a handicap win for the leaders.
Apart from that, it should not go unmentioned that the sky-blue-whites are once again the best away team in the Premier League in 2021/22, having won eight of ten away games so far this season and conceding the fewest goals (six).
Moreover, as their upcoming opponents from London have failed to score in any of their five most recent direct encounters against the Citizens, it is equally conceivable to bet on another “to-nil” victory for Guardiola’s side.
Predicted Manchester City line-up:
Ederson; Cancelo, Dias, Laporte, Ake; B Silva, Gundogan, De Bruyne; Mahrez, Foden, Sterling
Last matches played by Manchester City:
Premier League
12/29 2021 – Brentford 0 – 1 Manchester City
12/26 2021 – Manchester City 6 – 3 Leicester
12/19 2021 – Newcastle United 0 – 4 Manchester City
12/14 2021 – Manchester City 7 – 0 Leeds
12/11 2021 – Manchester City 1 – 0 Wolverhampton
Arsenal – Manchester City Tip
The top four of the English Premier League face each other in direct duels on the first matchday of the new year. Between Chelsea and Liverpool it is a question of which of the two teams can keep the connection to the top to some extent. The day before, however, the clubs’ protagonists will be looking eagerly to London and hoping that a bet on the home team will pay off between Arsenal and Manchester City.
Admittedly, such a scenario is relatively unlikely, as the young Gunners haven’t managed much against the league’s top teams so far this season. The first leg against the Citizens, for example, was lost 5-0. They also suffered heavy defeats against Chelsea and Liverpool, which is why we don’t necessarily expect the Gunners to leave anything worthwhile in the capital this time. And this despite the fact that the Gunners have won four times in a row in the Premier League recently.
However, that outstanding streak is also being topped by the Sky Blues. The Citizens have already won ten consecutive league games. In addition, Guardiola’s team is the best away team and has won the last nine direct duels against the upcoming opponents.
In our eyes, therefore, the first option between Arsenal and Manchester City is to play the betting odds on an away win with a two-goal lead or more. At Betway we get a 2.30 at the top for this, which we play with a stake of six units.
