Manchester City vs Arsenal – the first of three fixtures these two sides still have against each other this season, this is sure to be an incredibly entertaining watch.
Manchester City welcome Premier League leaders Arsenal to the Etihad Stadium on January 27 as both teams look to get a psychological advantage over the other heading into the second half of the season.
Manchester City vs Arsenal Predictions and Best Odds
Each time @Arsenal has met @ManCity in the #EmiratesFACup since the turn of the century, The Gunners have gone on to win the competition! 🏆 pic.twitter.com/Q2GnYlaXQV
— Emirates FA Cup (@EmiratesFACup) January 25, 2023
Manchester City Run of Form
The Citizens are somewhat of an enigma right now. A disappointing defeat to rivals Manchester United has been followed by two consecutive victories against Tottenham Hotspur and Wolverhampton Wanderers. However, even after their win against Spurs, Pep Guardiola was unhappy and called for more hunger from both his players and, controversially, their fans.
Despite that, their defeat against the Red Devils is the only time in their last five fixtures that they have failed to win the game, and, even when some way off their best, are still one of the most dangerous sides in world football, such is the quality they possess.
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Arsenal Current Run of Form
On the other hand, what a fortnight it has been for the Gunners. Their last two fixtures have seen them beat their bitter rivals Tottenham for the second time this season and grab a last-gasp winner at home against Manchester United.
Looking even further back, Mikel Arteta’s side have won four of their last five matches in all competitions, only dropping points in a 0-0 draw against Newcastle United. It’s fair to say, the Premier League leaders will come into this game full of confidence.
Recent Head-to-Head
The last time these two sides met, Manchester City won the game 2-1, although the Gunners were the masters of their downfall,
Bukayo Saka fired the hosts ahead in the first half, but a whirlwind two-minute period early in the second half put Arsenal on the back foot. A Riyad Mahrez penalty in the 57th minute was followed by a Gabriel Magalhaes red card in the 59th. If that didn’t wipe the smiles off the home crowd’s faces, then Rodri scoring the winner for the away side in the 93rd minute certainly did.
City, therefore, will head into this game confident that they have the formula already in place to beat this Arsenal side, but will be all too aware of the fact that the Gunners have been victorious in each of the last two occasions they have met in the FA Cup.
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Manchester City vs Arsenal Prediction
Given that this is a cup competition, many fans may be expecting both managers to make changes to their side. With Guardiola, that is incredibly likely because he has the squad needed to be able to do so and still field a relatively strong side.
However, Arsenal do not have that luxury, and Arteta has consistently demonstrated that he takes cup competitions very seriously, regularly naming stronger-than-expected starting elevens in the Europa League. He will likely do the same in this match too.
Despite that though, this will still be an incredibly close match, with both sides desperate to get one up on the other. But, with greater strength in depth, as well as the support of a home crowd, Manchester City may just secure a narrow victory against the Gunners in this one.
Current Odds: Manchester City vs Arsenal
The bookmakers agree, pricing a home win at 3/4. The next most likely outcome is a draw at 3/1, whilst an Arsenal win is priced at 16/5.
