Arsenal vs Man City Prediction

🔊 Will Man City find themselves outside the top-4 following their trip to the capital? On February 2nd, the central match of the 24th round of the Premier League will take place, with Arsenal hosting the "Citizens" at the "Emirates". Last season, this meeting could have been called a championship decider, but now Pep's team can hardly seriously count on getting into the title race. However, the "Gunners" are in a race with Liverpool, and given their current lag, they cannot afford to slip up. Bookmakers see the hosts as clear favorites, which is important to consider when making a prediction. But City is clearly gaining momentum, and this factor cannot be ignored either.

📊 Head-to-head

For a long time, the "Citizens" did not have any problems in matches against the Londoners, but starting from last season, this trend was interrupted. Arsenal defeated them in the Super Cup match (4:1 on penalties) and was better in Premier League games (1:0; 0:0). In the first round meeting of the current campaign, the "Gunners" played with a man down for the entire second half but nearly held onto victory, conceding only in the 98th minute (2:2).

🔴 Arsenal

Perhaps the main concern for Arsenal fans right now is the club's activity in the transfer market, or rather its absence. Jesus is out for a long time with a cruciate ligament injury, so Havertz is the only option for the central forward role, although he misses many dangerous moments. It seems that the "Gunners" won't sign anyone. Nevertheless, they are coping quite well so far. Second place in the Premier League and third in the group stage of the Champions League is an excellent interim result. A series of three victories is also pleasing. It should be noted that in the last round game against Wolverhampton (1:0), Lewis-Skelly received a red card, but it was appealed by the Londoners and the suspension was lifted. Thus, apart from the aforementioned Jesus, three more players will miss the upcoming match: Tomiyasu, White, and Saka.

⚪ Manchester City

The "Citizens," unlike the "Gunners," are very active in the transfer market. The team has been strengthened by Vitor Reis, Omar Marmoush, and Abduqodir Khusanov. The latter started in the last round match against Chelsea, and the defender conceded a goal in the opening minutes. Throwing a young guy straight into the Premier League grind was clearly not Guardiola's best decision. However, the "Sky Blues" turned the tide of the contest and secured their second consecutive victory (3:1). The decisive match of their Champions League group stage ended with the same score. City needed only a win over Brugge, and Pep's protégés lost the first half but increased their pace in the second and showed character again, making it to the playoffs where they'll play against Real Madrid. Regarding injuries, it's business as usual for the guests: Doku, Dias, Bobb, Ake, and Rodri will not take to the field.

⚽️ Goal Prediction

Tactical battles between Arteta and Pep rarely turn out to be high-scoring, and the trend that under 3.5 total goals occurred in 6 of the last 7 head-to-head meetings at "Emirates" confirms this. It's also worth noting that in 7 of Arsenal's previous 8 matches, no more than 3 goals were scored.

🚩 Corner Prediction

Arsenal will play at home, but that doesn't mean we'll see the infamous Arteta dominance. We present to you a powerful trend: the "Gunners" take fewer than 5.5 corners in 11 consecutive head-to-head matches with City! We believe there is a high likelihood of this trend continuing.

📝 Match Prediction

As mentioned earlier, we don't think this match will be as high-scoring as in the first round. However, both teams should manage to exchange goals. City has yet to figure out how to deal with opponents' counterattacks, making them very vulnerable in defensive phases, but they have scored in 16 of their last 17 away Premier League matches. We believe both sides will capitalize on one opportunity each and settle for a 1-1 draw. The key bet from Scores24's editorial team is Both Teams to Score (Yes).