Arsenal welcome Manchester City to the Emirates Stadium on Sunday for the standout Premier League fixture of the weekend.
The Gunners are in pole position to overtake City at the top of the table if they get a win here, after City’s surprise defeat at the hands of Wolves last weekend. Both teams were in Champions League action in midweek, with Arsenal losing to RC Lens and City coming out on top against RB Leipzig.
They’re attention now comes back to the Premier League this weekend, before the next international break kicks in. Here, we’ll preview this titanic clash in the hopes we can find you some winning bets.
All to play for
Last weekend was a very eventful one in terms of the title race. City’s defeat to Wolves meant that Liverpool could take top spot if they beat Tottenham, but it was Spurs who came out on top in a game that garnered attention for all of the wrong reasons. After losing some ground on City, Arsenal have pulled back into the race with a resounding 4-0 win over Bournemouth last week.
That win has put the Gunners firmly back into the title race and they must believe they can win this game if they are to go all the way. Mikel Arteta will be disappointed with the midweek defeat, but his players must remain focused here as they welcome their rivals. With just three points separating first from seventh in the league table, it’s very much all to play for.
Attack v attack
This is a match between two of the best attacking sides in the league and, as such, it should result in an entertaining game. Nobody will be surprised by the fact that last year’s Golden Boot winner Erling Haaland is again leading the goalscoring charts this campaign. The Norwegian striker has six goals in his last five Premier League games and netted in the last league meeting between the sides.
Bakoyo Saka limped off in the first half of Arsenal’s midweek Champions League defeat and Arteta will be sweating on his fitness ahead of this game. It will be a major blow if the club’s leading scorer is unable to feature and the manager may have to tinker with his starting line up as a result. That’s far from ideal when you’re facing one of the best teams in the world.
One for the neutrals
Both sets of fans will be somewhat nervous heading into this one, as it could have a significant impact on both of their respective seasons. This is City’s toughest test to date this season, so it will be interesting to see how Pep Guardiola’s players react. There’s going to be plenty of attractive, attacking football in this one and, who knows, maybe even the referee or VAR will take centre stage again. This is definitely one for the neutrals.
Suggested bets
- Manchester City to Win & BTTS
- Erling Haaland & Julian Alvarez to Score
- 2-3 Correct Score
