Manchester City vs Arsenal Prediction & Betting Tips - Premier League

Prediction published on 09/03/2020, 12:42  by Valeria Di Meglio | Modified on 11/03/2020 at 05:26 in Premier League Prediction

Midweek Premier League action features Manchester City hosting Arsenal at the Etihad on Wednesday night. City, second in the table, suffered a 2-0 defeat at the weekend at Old Trafford to Manchester United. Arsenal, in ninth place, will put themselves in contention for a Champions League spot with a win at the Etihad. The Gunners are on a rich run of form, the 1-0 home win over West Ham on Saturday being their third consecutive league victory. This positive form sheet papers over cracks that were exposed most recently by the manner in which they exited the Europa League. Arsenal carried an away advantage into the Emirates leg only to suffer the indignity of a home defeat after extra-time. A disorganised defence was the main reason for that failure and it is an area of the team that Mikel Arteta will have to address in the summer. Until then, Arsenal are vulnerable at the back. Their opponents at the Etihad have won their last six matches against Arsenal in all competitions. Can they keep that streak up?

With Kevin De Bruyne expected to be fit for this game, City will be favourites for the win. They badly missed De Bruyne's playmaking on Sunday, something which may worry Pep Guardiola given the talent he had on the pitch. Prolific in the first half of the campaign, Raheem Sterling is now without a goal in 11 matches. At the back, Nicolas Otamendi is an obvious weak point and Ederson's performance against United was littered with errors. Arsenal could attempt to replicate United's gameplan and play five at the back, breaking on the counter. Arteta, who left the City coaching staff to join Arsenal, is well-placed to come up with an effective tactical plan. However, his players may not be good enough to deploy it effectively. Back De Bruyne to score anytime.