Manchester City has slipped from its typical dominance atop the English Premier League table so far in 2019-20, with just two wins in their last five matches and sitting 14 points back of Liverpool and six points back of Leicester City, currently in third int he standings. They are still ten points clear of Arsenal, one of four teams sitting with 22 points at this point in the standings.
This week, Manchester City heads to Arsenal looking for a shot at three road points and a chance to push closer to the top, while Arsenal looks to add points. The Gunners are seven points clear of relegation, but a home win over City would be huge for momentum. If EPL soccer is part of your online betting plans, take a look at our preview of this clash.
Arsenal vs Manchester City 2019 Premier Leagues Odds & Game Preview
💬 @PhilFoden's time is coming according to Pep 💬
— Manchester City (@ManCity) December 13, 2019
🎤 @marathonbet
🔵 #ARSMCI #ManCity pic.twitter.com/DiHZGsJ1Vy
- When: Sunday, December 15, 2019, 11:30 am ET
- Where: Emirates Stadium, London
- TV: NBC Sports
- Radio: None
- Live Stream: NBCSports.com
- Soccer Odds: Manchester City -1.5 / O/U 3.5
Why should you bet on Manchester City?
Manchester City should have plenty of motivation after falling at home to crosstown rival Manchester United in their latest derby on Saturday. In that game, United got an early penalty from Marcus Rashford in the 23rd minute and then added an insurance goal six minutes later from Anthony Martial. City made things look decent with a goal in the 85th minute from Nicolas Otamendi, but on the whole, City could not convert their chances.
For the match, City outshot United, 23-11, but United won the battle of shots on frame, 7-5. City also dominated possession, holding the ball for 72 percent of the game. They attempted more than twice as many passes as United and completed almost 90 percent of them. They applied constant pressure, forcing 16 corner kicks. However, it simply was not enough, as the chances that City got tended to be from distance, rather than getting the action inside. Some of this had to do with the defensive shell that United assumed after taking that 2-0 lead, but the lack of chances has to be concerning.
Why should you put your money on Arsenal?
Arsenal comes home full of momentum after a 3-1 whipping of West Ham United. West Ham jumped out to the lead when Angelo Ogbonna found the back of the net in the 38th minute, and the game went into halftime with a 1-0 advantage for the hosts. However, after halftime, Arsenal poured on the offense, getting three goals in ten minutes. Gabriel Martinelli started things off in the 60th minute, followed by a tally by Nicolas Pepe six minutes later. It was just three minutes after that that Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang added the third goal of the match for the Gunners, sealing the win.
The statistics of the match were fairly even — except for possession, as Arsenal held for almost two-thirds of the match. West Ham outshot Arsenal, 11-10 (4-3 on target) and had 78 percent passing accuracy, while Arsenal passed almost twice as much and completed 86 percent of theirs. West Ham was the more physical side, getting 12 fouls (to six for the visitors) and a pair of yellow cards. That onslaught over that short period in the second half turned out to be the difference for Arsenal, as they hope to bring similar pressure against City.
Final Score Prediction
One hopes that losing at home in that derby will spur City to action. Arsenal’s win over West Ham is impressive, but that side is just one point clear of relegation at this point, so that is the type of result that Arsenal should get from that game. I expect City to play better defense than they did against United and pour on the chances. I predict a final score of City 2, Arsenal 1.
