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Manchester City – Arsenal FC
This weekend the Premier League takes a break. But that doesn’t mean the players can relax now. Because the oldest cup competition in the world goes into the next round. The 4th round of the FA Cup is coming up. It’s slowly getting down to the wire for the teams. There are some exciting matches on the schedule in this round of the English Cup. Probably the hottest match is in Manchester on Friday. Premier League leaders Arsenal face reigning English champions Manchester City.
Manchester City have been the all-conquering team in England for the last few years. This season, City are once again playing some very respectable football, but are already five points behind their north London opponents in the Premier League. Last weekend, however, the Cititzens beat Wolverhampton Wanderers 3-0 in the league. Find out who will win Friday’s crunch clash in our Man City vs Arsenal betting tips.
Arsenal have had a thoroughly fantastic season so far. The team from north London is top of the Premier League. In addition, the Gunners have the second best attack in the league. Last Sunday, Mikel Arteta’s team won the absolute top match against Manchester United with 3-2, cementing their place at the top of the table.
Man City – Arsenal info:
– Date & Time: 27/01/2023, 21:00.
– Venue: Etihad Stadium, Manchester
– Competition: FA Cup, 4th round
– TV coverage: DAZN
Man City Form & Balance Check
In addition to their numerous league titles, Manchester City have also won the FA Cup six times. The last time the Citizens secured this title was in the 2018/2019 season, when Manchester City dispatched their opponents Watford 6-0 in the final and virtually rolled over the team from the London borough.
This season, coach Pep Guardiola would like to repeat that success. The third round of the cup ended for the Citizens with a commanding 4-0 victory over Chelsea. In the league, however, it does not look like the Skyblues will win another title. Manchester City are already five points behind league leaders Arsenal and even have one game more to play. At the weekend, however, the Citizens managed a comfortable 3-0 win over Wolves.
Haaland unstoppable
Last season, two players shared the title of top scorer in the Premier League. Both Mo Salah and Heu-min Son scored 23 goals in the league last season. After 20 Manchester City games, Erling Haaland is already on 25 Premier League goals this season.
The Norwegian has clearly arrived in the Premier League. Recently, criticism of Haaland has been mounting as he has gone three consecutive competitive games without a goal. The 22-year-old came back immediately with a goal against Tottenham and three goals against Wolverhampton. This was the fourth hat-trick for the Man City number 9 this Premier League season. In the cup competitions, however, Haaland has been mostly spared and world champion Julián Álvarez has striked in his place. It will be interesting to see who starts up front on Friday.
Man City facts & analysis
– 2nd place in the Premier League.
– Already three defeats in the Premier League
– In the last 16 of the Champions League
Arsenal form & balance check
Arsenal’s favourite tournament is the FA Cup. The club from north London has already won the title of English cup winner 14 times. The last time the Gunners did so was in the 2019/2020 season, when Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored twice in the final against Chelsea. However, coach Mikel Arteta’s side were eliminated in the 3rd round last season after losing 1-0 to Nottingham Forest, who were playing in the second division at the time. This season, an absolute heavyweight of English football is waiting directly in the 4th round.
However, if the FA Cup does not materialise this season, Arsenal still have the chance to win a historic Premier League title. The Gunners last won the English championship in 2004. Before this season, hardly any experts believed that the north Londoners would achieve this feat. Arsenal are currently playing outstanding attacking football and lead the league by five points. At the weekend, the Gunners won 3-2 in the top-of-the-table clash against Manchester United thanks to a late goal from Nketiah.
Spectacular attack
Both in attack and defence, almost no-one is putting anything past Arsenal this season. With 45 goals scored, Arsenal have the second best attack in the Premier League. The goals are distributed on different shoulders in the attack. Captain Martin Ødegaard leads the internal goalscoring ranking with eight goals in the league.
Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka also have seven goals to their name. Striker Eddie Nketiah, who is standing in for the injured Gabriel Jesus, is also getting into his stride. The youth player scored twice in the match against Man United and thus contributed decisively to the Gunners’ victory. In total, Nketiah has now scored nine goals in competitive matches this season.
Arsenal facts & analysis
– Currently in 1st place in the Premier League.
– 50 points after 19 games
– Won the group in the Europa League with aplomb
Predicted line-up – last update on 25 January 2023
It is difficult to predict with which personnel Pep Guardiola will play. In the FA Cup, the Spaniard mostly rotates, but with Arsenal, an absolute top team is waiting. We think Ortega will be in goal for the Citizens again, as he has been in the previous cup games. Man City have all their players available for the match.
Arsenal’s team could also look different from what we are used to. Coach Mikel Arteta has so far mostly given players with less playing time the chance of a starting eleven appearance in cup games. Turner has been the cup goalkeeper so far, but we can also imagine Aaron Ramsdale in the box. Gabriel Jesus and Reiss Nelson continue to miss the Gunners through injury.
Man City – Arsenal direct comparison & stats
Both teams have played 182 competitive matches against each other so far. Arsenal have won 87 direct duels against the Citizens and Man City have won 53. The last meeting between the two teams took place on matchday 21 of last season. Manchester City narrowly won that match 2-1 with a goal from Rodri in injury time.
– Man City won their last ten league games against Arsenal
– Arsenal, on the other hand, have won their past two duels against Man City in the FA Cup.
– When Manchester City lead 1-0 in home games, they win 90% of matches
– Arsenal’s last away win at Man City was in 2015
