Premier League – round 3
Stadium: Etihad (Manchester)
Referee: Martin Atkinson
One of the central matches of the English Premier League third round will be the game between Man City and Arsenal, Pep Guardiola vs. Mikel Arteta. Will Guardiola lend a hand to his friend Arteta, or leave him to sink in the mud? The second option is more likely, and this is obvious.
Man City Form
Man City started the season with a loss to Leicester in the FA Community Shield (0-1). And the "the Citizens" were defeated by Tottenham, led by their new head coach Nuno Espírito Santo, with the same score. City was caught in the typical "Spurs" trap, which was set up by another Portuguese, "The Special One" José Mourinho. However, this slump could not last forever, and Pep Guardiola's team took the lead in the match against Norwich, with five unanswered goals. It seems that Pep will have to do without his striker again.
Arsenal Form
Arsenal started the season with an abysmal record of two losses in the first two rounds. First, "the Gunners" were disgraced in the match against Brentford (0-2). Then, they were outclassed by Thomas Tuchel's Chelsea with the same score. And Romelu Lukaku attacked Pablo Marí. There is no better illustration of the difference in class than this episode.
The Injured and Disqualified
Manchester City: Foden, De Bruyne, Mendy
Arsenal: Partey, Nketiah, Gabriel, Bellerín, White, Willian, Rúnarsson
History of head-to-heads
203 official games have been played between Man City and Arsenal. "The Gunners" winning big in a 98-60 blowout, thanks to their more successful and longer history. In the last season, City defeated Arsenal three times — 1-0 in both matches of the Premier League. And during the EFL Cup, "the Citizens" beat "the Gunners" — 4-1.
The Important Facts about the Match
Man City defeated Arsenal 10 times in the last 11 matches.
In 8 of the last 9 matches at Etihad, the total of the goals scored was over 2,5.
Expert Betting Tips
Arsenal is now in a broken state. And therefore there are no grounds for Arsenal to suddenly upset "the Citizens". That's why our recommendation will be Man City's convincing victory with a handicap of 1,5 goals for 1.86.
We are also inclined to believe that Arsenal's goalless streak will continue. Both teams to score - No for 1,75