Arsenal vs Man City tips:
Manchester City travel to Arsenal on Sunday, desperate to close the gap between them in the Premier League and a win at the Emirates would put them just three points behind the Gunners with 14 games remaining (4.30pm, Sky Sports Main Event).
It’s crazy to think that after a run that saw them win just one in 13 City are just six points behind Arsenal and still in the Champions League following Wednesday’s 3-1 win over Club Brugge that meant they reached the play-offs.
They will have to overcome either Real Madrid or Bayern Munich over two legs if they are to reach the last 16, while Arsenal qualified automatically after finishing third in the table with 19 points from their eight games - eight more than City.
Pep Guardiola is adamant that City are not back to their best but just one defeat in their last eight is a huge improvement on their form which saw them lose five games in a row earlier in the season, which included two defeats to struggling Tottenham.
The Gunners go into the game with just two defeats from their last 20 games, one came against Newcastle in the League Cup semi-final first leg and the other saw them crash out of the FA Cup at the first hurdle, beaten on penalties by Manchester United.
In the league they were last beaten 14 games ago when Alexander Isak scored the goal of the game in a 1-0 at St James Park, at the beginning of November.
City to close the gap
It would be easy to go with a home win, after all, Arsenal are unbeaten in 13 league matches, winning eight and drawing five and have won the most points of any side from matchday 11 with 29.
They have never had a longer unbeaten run under Mikel Arteta, last going 14 without defeat between August and December 2018 under Unai Emery.
For City after winning 12 consecutive league games against the Gunners between 2017 and 2023, they are now without a win in their last four in all competitions with three draws and one defeat.
That defeat came in this fixture last season when Gabriel Martinelli scored the only goal of the game, to secure their first league win since 2015.
We’re expecting action and possibly fireworks in this one, after how the previous meeting ended in September.
The game finished 2-2 after Mikel Arteta’s side were reduced to 10 men in the first half when Leandro Trossard was sent off. John Stones then equalised in added time to spark huge celebrations.
Football betting sites are backing Arsenal for the win at 11/10, with City 29/11 while you can get 13/5 on a draw and considering three of the last four matches have ended all square that’s not a bad option.
Historically this is the time when City come to life and they have lost just one of their last 40 Premier League matches played from January until the end of the campaign, winning 33 and drawing six.
You can get 4/6 on both teams to score but we’re also backing City to sneak the win.
Arsenal vs Man City prediction 1: BTTS and City to win -11/2 William Hill
Haaland to force Arsenal to “stay humble”
Erling Haaland’s comments, and behaviour, at the end of the last meeting between the two sides sparked a furious reaction, especially when he told Arteta to “stay humble" while patting him on the shoulder and no doubt this time he would rather let his football do the talking.
He has scored five goals in his last five Premier League appearances for Man City, two more than he’d managed in his previous 13 games combined.
He also has three goals and two assists in his last five meetings with Arsenal, including the opening goal last time the two sides met.
Betting sites are offering 5/1 on him scoring first, 11/2 on scoring last and 39/20 any time. You can also get 29/20 on him scoring or assisting at any time.
Arsenal vs Man City prediction 2: Haaland to score anytime 39/20 Unibet
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