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Manchester City vs Arsenal odds and betting statistics
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Manchester City vs Arsenal match preview
The Premier League’s top two go head-to-head at the Etihad in, what will surely be, a decisive night in the title race.
Champions Manchester City have seemingly found form at just the right time, winning six successive Premier League games, accumulating 25 points from the last 27 available.
Meanwhile, Pep Guardiola’s team continue to chase the treble, having swatted aside Bayern Munich 4-1 on aggregate in the Champions League.
The Citizens will take on Real Madrid next month, in a repeat of last season’s semi-final, knowing whoever prevails will be strong favourites to beat A.C. Milan or Inter in İstanbul on 10 June.
On Saturday, the Sky Blues also demolished Sheffield United at Wembley, with Riyāḍ Maḥrez becoming the first man since Alex Dawson in 1958 to score an FA Cup semi-final hat-trick.
This sets up a first-ever all-Manchester FA Cup Final on 3 June, with the blue half certainly favourites to prevail in that one.
This is a feat only previously achieved by Huddersfield (1920s), Arsenal (1930s), Liverpool (1980s) and Man United (2000s).
As for Arsenal, they’ve lost momentum at the most inopportune moment as their dreams of a first title in 19 years are starting to slip away.
The Gunners come into this huge clash following three successive draws, throwing away 2-0 leads against both Liverpool and then West Ham.
Then, on Friday night, Mikel Arteta’s team went 1-0 down after just 30 seconds at home to bottom of the table Southampton, before finding themselves 2-0 and then 3-1 behind.
Late strikes from Martin Ødegaard and Bukayo Saka did salvage a point, but this doesn’t particularly help their cause.
Despite all the doom and gloom, Arsenal are still five points clear at the top of the table, albeit Man City have two games in hand, and that advantage would be slashed to two by a defeat here.
Manchester City have won 11 consecutive Premier League meetings with Arsenal, which is the longest winning streak any club has enjoyed over another in the history of the competition.
Most would expect Guardiola’s team to make that 12 at the Etihad, thereby all but end Arteta’s team’s title dreams.
Manchester City team news
Pep Guardiola made six changes for Saturday’s non-event of a win over Sheffield United at Wembley.
Ederson, Rúben Dias, John Stones, Rodri and Kevin De Bruyne will all return, although Nathan Aké is a doubt, having hobbled off in Munich.
Assuming Aké is sidelined, Aymeric Laporte will come into that hybrid centre/left-back role; not a bad deputy.
Despite his FA Cup hat-trick, Riyāḍ Maḥrez will almost certainly be on the bench, with Bernardo Silva starting on the right.
Erling Braut Håland will be seeking to add to his remarkable tally of 48 goals this season.
One more would equal Clive Allen’s tally from 1986/87, while Dixie Dean still holds the English top-flight record, scoring 63 times for Everton in 1927/28.
Predicted XI (4-1-4-1): Ederson; Stones, Akanji, Rúben Dias, Laporte; Rodri, Gündoğan, Silva, De Bruyne, Grealish; Håland.
Arsenal team news
Arsenal supporters were given the news they feared on Tuesday with William Saliba ruled out for, probably, the remainder of the season, while Takehiro Tomiyasu is also sidelined long term.
Without either, Rob Holding is likely to keep his place at the back, unless Mikel Arteta does something wacky like bring in Jakub Kiwior or play Kieran Tierney at right-back.
Granit Xhaka missed the Friday night draw due to illness but is set to return in place of Fábio Vieira.
Leandro Trossard impressed off the bench again in that one, but will remain a substitute.
Up front, Gabriel Jesus jointly holds the Premier League record for most different matches scored in without ever losing (54) alongside another former Man City player James Milner.
Will he and Oleksandr Zinchenko play a key role as they seek to defeat the club they left less than a year ago?
Predicted XI (4-1-4-1): Ramsdale; White, Holding, Gabriel, Zinchenko; Partey, Xhaka, Ødegaard; Saka, Martinelli; Jesus.
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