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Man City v Arsenal
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Kick Off: Sunday 22nd September at 16:30
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Competition: Premier League
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Watch Live: Sky Sports Main Event
Manchester City host Arsenal in the Premier League on Sunday as first and second in the table go head-to-head at the Etihad Stadium.
City struggled to quieten the talk around their legal case with a scoreless draw against Inter Milan in the Champions League on Wednesday while Arsenal were similarly frustrated in Italy against Atalanta, a match that will long be remembered for David Raya’s astonishing double save from Mateo Retegui.
The European fixtures for both of these teams, though, were mere appetisers for Sunday’s clash, which has the potential to play a vital role in the destination of the title even so early in the campaign.
Completely Free BuildABet on Man City v Arsenal
Man City v Arsenal Best Bets
➡️ Bukayo Saka to have 1+ shots on target @ 2.0 with Betfair
➡️ Kevin De Bruyne to have 2+ shots @ 1.40 with Betfair
➡️ Arsenal to receive the most cards @ 1.73 with Betfair
Based on the evidence of the two Premier League clashes between these sides last season, this will be a close-fought match with few chances taken for either side. Player prop bets offer the best value here.
Given Bukayo Saka’s unerring ability to get a shot on target – something he has managed in six of the seven competitive games he has played for club and country – odds of 2.0 look long on him continuing that trend.
Erling Haaland is predictably short-priced but he was limited well by the Gunners last year. Instead, Kevin De Bruyne to muster two shots at 1.4 looks strong value given he is too far off his Norwegian team-mate in pure attempts this season. Indeed, De Bruyne has had at least two shots in seven successive matches for City and Belgium. This, of course, hinges on him proving his fitness after an injury scare this week.
Finally, Arsenal to receive the most cards at 1.73 offers excellent value. The Gunners have committed more than twice as many fouls as City in the Premier League this term, picking up 1.5 more cards per game, as well as three in each of their domestic away games.
📂 Man City v Arsenal Cheat Sheet
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📊 Man City Form and Stats
Manchester City have been flawless in the Premier League this season, winning all four of their fixtures. Pep Guardiola has seen his side score at least two in each league game, and while they were stopped against Inter in midweek, the premium on getting three points in the Champions League is not the same as it is domestically.
Erling Haaland, of course, is dominating the narrative. Incredibly, he already has nine Premier League goals for the season. These have come from just 13 shots on target (plus one penalty), coming at a rate of 3.25 per 90.
Kevin De Bruyne is, more quietly, getting a high volume of shots away. The Belgium international has had 14 efforts this season but only three of these have hit the target. For club and country, though, he has had at least three shots in five of his last six games and is the player charged with striking direct free kicks at goal.
When it comes to winning fouls in the Premier League, meanwhile, Rico Lewis is City’s runaway leader on eight this season. However, five of these came in a single game against Ipswich, skewing this figure.
Jeremy Doku sits on six fouls won, with the winger picking up multiple in two of his three Premier League starts. He is 1.67 to do so again here.
When it comes to giving away fouls, City are stingy. Having committed just 25 fouls this season, they are the cleanest team in the league. They are yet to give up more than nine in a single game, reaching this figure against both Chelsea and Brentford. Indeed, only Brentford have received fewer cards than the eight of Guardiola’s side, meanwhile.
De Bruyne is Man City’s leading foul maker on four, while Savinho, Manuel Akanji and Bernardo Silva all sit on three.
They have, meanwhile, won the second most corners in the Premier League with 36, an average of nine per match.
📊 Arsenal Form and Stats
Arsenal have not shown themselves to possess the prolific scoring power of City, but what they have had is incredible solidarity in their play. The Gunners have conceded only one goal across all competitions so far this term, and while they have given up 4.1 xGA in the Premier League alone, the mentality of Arteta’s side has been hugely impressive.
Scoring one or two goals has typically been enough for the London club to get the job done this season, just as it was when they hosted City little under a year ago.
Their six Premier League goals have been shared between five players, with Kai Havertz the only player to have struck more than once. The German only has a couple of strikes to his credit.
Bukayo Saka has, in far, been just as dangerous as the former Chelsea man, though. The winger has generated 1.5 xG in the Premier League so far this season and actually has more shots (11) and shots on target (seven) than Havertz, despite having less game-time.
The England man was subdued against Tottenham in the 1-0 win last weekend, though, failing to get a single shot on target for the first time this term with either club or country.
Leandro Trossard, who has been most effective as a substitute, is the only other Arsenal player to have more than three shots this season in the Premier League with five.
When it comes to fouls, Havertz and Saka again have a big part to play. Havertz, along with Thomas Partey, leads the Gunners on eight fouls committed, two clear of William Saliba.
Winger Saka, on the other hand, leads the club in winning fouls with nine, putting him joint-ninth in the Premier League.
As a team, Arsenal are giving up more than twice as many fouls in the Premier League this season as City (55-25) and have picked up more than 50% more cards (14-8).
⚔️ Man City v Arsenal Head-to-Head
Manchester City had won this fixture on eight successive occasions going into last term’s Community Shield, yet there was a notable change in the pattern of these fixtures since the Gunners won 4-1 on penalties at Wembley.
Mikel Arteta’s side might have gone close to the title in 2022/23, but they truly announced themselves as major challengers to upset City in the first meeting last season. The Gunners pinched a tight game 1-0 thanks to a goal from Gabriel Martinelli four minutes from time.
The second encounter was even tighter. There were no goals at the Etihad Stadium at the end of March, leaving the title race in the balance going into the final weeks of the season.
One of the patterns to emerge from these games was an acute lack of shots on target. Between the two teams, they mustered 34 shots across the two games but only five hit the target. Only one of these came from Pep Guardiola’s side; this came from the unlikely source of Nathan Ake.
The Gunners’ four efforts were spread between four players. Martinelli had a couple off the bench in the first clash before Kai Havertz and Leandro Trossard worked Stefan Ortega in Manchester.
Arsenal committed more fouls than their opponents in both games, eight at the Emirates before 20 at the Etihad. Man City, on the other hand, were in single figures for both games, with only Bernardo Silva committing fouls in both.
Gabriel Jesus, who may not even start against his former club, committed multiple fouls in both games and is 1.5 with Betfair to do so again.
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* I recommend waiting for confirmed team line-ups before placing any bets.
* All odds displayed correct at the time of publishing.
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