Big Match Breakdown: Arsenal v Man City
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Arsenal will be looking for revenge
It’s going to be very cold in North London tonight but there could be fireworks when Arsenal host Manchester City.
City cruised to a 3-0 win against the Gunners when they met in last weekend’s Carabao Cup final. Will Arsenal respond with a better display here?
Here’s all the pre-match lowdown from the Coral News Team…
Head to Head
Arsenal have a decent record against the league leaders in recent years. They’ve won four of the last ten clashes. City have three wins during that period. There have been three draws too – which all ended 2-2.
The Manchester side will also be looking to improve on their poor record away to Arsenal. They’ve only ever beaten tonight’s opposition at home once in Premier League action.
Likely XIs
Arsene Wenger will name the strongest side available to him. His side have only won two of their last six games and need to get back into form.
Petr Cech and Henrikh Mkhitaryan will come back into the starting XI here. Sead Kolasinac should replace the injured Nacho Monreal.
Pep Guardiola has a big headache in midfield as Fernandinho is injured. The Brazilian has screened the defence and started attacks brilliantly this season. Ilkay Gundogan is the most likely replacement. Raheem Sterling could also start after missing the cup final.
Key Battles
Arsenal barely laid a glove on City at Wembley. They need to press more aggressively to stop the visitors getting into their rhythm this time around.
With Fernandinho out, Mesut Ozil could also find some joy in the hole. Arsenal will need to give him the ball in dangerous areas to take advantage.
City will look to exploit Arsenal’s weaknesses at the back. The Gunners’ midfield doesn’t offer enough protection to the defence, which means they’re often left exposed.
Match Odds
City are clear 3/4 favourites here. Despite home advantage, Arsenal are out at 17/5. The draw is 3/1.
The cup final ended a run of nine games between these two where both sides had scored. City and Both Teams to Score is 9/4.
This match features two attacking sides and there have been Over 2.5 Goals in all but one of the last 10 encounters. It’s 1/2 outcome for the same in this one.
Sergio Aguero has six goals in his last four games. And he loves playing Arsenal. He’s netted in each of his last five appearances against them. He’s 19/20 to score anytime. You can also get Aguero to score and City to win at 6/4.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will want to make amends for missing a great chance at Wembley. Arsenal’s record signing is 9/5 to score anytime.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing
