Manchester City vs Arsenal prediction: ENGLAND: Premier League betting tips on match 2023-04-25 19:00.
A season-defining game for Manchester City and Arsenal awaits as the winners will put themselves in pole position for the Premier League (PL) title. After seeing off Bayern Munich (W 4-1 on aggregate) to reach the Champions League semi-finals and Sheffield United (W 3-0) in the FA Cup semi-final, the hosts are in prime form as they look to close Arsenal’s five-point gap at the top of the table knowing they still have two games in hand.
Their displays here in the league have ramped up the pressure on the leaders as the Cityzens have won each of their last six home PL fixtures by at least a two-goal margin, even though only two of them came with a clean sheet. However, Pep Guardiola’s side hasn’t conceded in any of the last four H2Hs here (W4), highlighting how difficult they’ve made it for the North Londoners in recent years.
None of those meetings were potential title-deciders though, and after being eight points clear at the start of the month, Mikel Arteta – once Guardiola’s deputy at Man City – has seen his team stumble with the finishing line homing into view. Three consecutive league draws, two of them after going 2-0 up inside 30 minutes, is a concerning trend amid accusations that Arsenal are bottling it.
Arteta disagrees, saying he didn’t see a lack of confidence when they scored twice after the 85th minute to draw 3-3 with Southampton, but their title challenge now depends on them extending a five-match unbeaten run in away league games (W3, D2). Simply put, a loss here would most likely end their title chances even despite City’s demanding schedule from now until the season’s end.
Players to watch: Riyad Mahrez scored an FA Cup hat-trick on Saturday and given he’s made three goal contributions in his last four PL appearances against Arsenal (G1, A2), could have a role to play here. That could be important if either Gabriel Jesus or Gabriel Martinelli net early – both have scored twice within the first 30 minutes across Arsenal’s last three games!
Hot stat: Man City’s PL home games this season have produced a league-high average of 2.2 goals per first half.