Man City vs Arsenal Picks – Gunners eke out scrappy draw against Man City
Online betting players are in for a wild game on Saturday in London, where a number of ex-Arsenal players will be in a Manchester City uniform when the Blues visit the Gunners, and one made headlines for inciting the fans in the first game. But Man City’s inability to put teams away on the road, coupled with Arsenal’s form at home, will give each team a point.
- What: Soccer betting
- When: Saturday, April 24, 12:30 PM ET
- Where: Emirates Stadium, London, England
- Defending Champion: Man City has seven draws in 17 away games this year
The Storyline: Man City vs Arsenal Picks
Arsenal sits comfortably in third place, but they can’t get complacent as they’ve dropped their last two games away at Tottenham and Wigan, and in the latter, they lost a 2-0 lead to fall 3-2. Man City are two points behind Tottenham in the race for the final Champions League spot, and they dropped two vital points by giving up a goal in injury time of a 1-0 loss to Manchester United at home. But on a side note, this is the return to the Emirates for Man City’s Emmanuel Adebayor, the former Arsenal striker who ran the length of the pitch to celebrate a goal in front of the Arsenal fans in a 4-2 win back in September, earning a two-game suspension, and he is sure to get a frosty reception, at best.
Offensive Matchups: Man City vs Arsenal Picks
City combined to score 11 goals against Burnley and Birmingham, but were held scoreless against United. An attack with Adebayor and Carlos Tevez should be feared, but they can be inconsistent. This could be a game for Craig Bellamy, who doesn’t fear anyone and will run right at an Arsenal defense that has had problems.
Arsenal misses captain Cesc Fabregas’ ingenuity in the middle of the park, and there is no one to pull the strings for the Gunners. Samir Nasri has been Fabregas-lite, which is decent, but not great, and Theo Walcott’s pace can cause problems. Robin van Persie is being worked cautiously into the lineup after he came back too early from his last injury. If Andrei Arshavin isn’t at least 90% healthy, the Gunners’ sportsbook odds may be in trouble.
Betting Edge: Man CityDefensive Matchups: Man City vs Arsenal Picks
Kolo Toure will be returning to play against his old team, and former Arsenal captain Patrick Vieira may also feature, which gives City a solid defensive presence in front of Shay Given. Vieira may be used as Joleon Lescott is out, and Arsenal will surely have a lot of possession.
Thomas Vermaelen and William Gallas have been hurt, which leaves Arsenal with Sol Campbell and Mikael Silvestre. Yes, that’s as bad as it gets, and they showed their age against Wigan, even though Silvestre scored. They’re just a step slower than most forwards, and that hurts Arsenal, especially with no defensive midfielder to break up passes. Abou Diaby tries very hard, but he’s probably better going forward.
Betting Edge: Man CityNotable Injuries: Man City vs Arsenal Picks
Sylvinho (calf) and Martin Petrov (knee) may be back for this game, but no luck for Lescott (hamstring).
Arsenal has been decimated by injuries: Vermaelen (calf) Fabregas (knee), Gallas (calf) and Kieran Gibbs (foot) are all out, but Arshavin (calf) and Johan Djourou (knee) could be available.
Betting Edge: Man CityTotals: Man City vs Arsenal Picks Five of the last 10 between these two have gone over the posted total, including three of the last five, and their 4-2 meeting in Manchester in September was an open affair. Arsenal will still try to play that way, but without Fabregas, they’re simply not as good. Their injuries at the back will also hurt them while trying to stop the City attack. Pick: Over 2.5
Betting Prediction: Man City vs Arsenal Picks
Arsenal has won six and drawn one of their last 10 against City, who have two draws and three losses in their last five trips to Arsenal. This will be an emotionally charged trip as Toure and Vieira were part of the Arsenal team that went unbeaten in 2003-04, while Sylvinho is another former Arsenal man. But the crowd will be all over Adebayor for his antics in September, and he has to keep his head about him; remember, he received another suspension for stomping on van Persie in that same game, so he has a bit of a temper. Man City really should win this match, but they’ve had problems closing out games on the road with seven draws in their 17 away matches, and Arsenal, despite their injury woes, are an excellent home team with 14 wins. Call it even in your sports betting book.
