With 24 matches being postponed over the usually hectic December, the festive feast of English football over the holidays has been more like a yuletide snack. Arsenal has had three games delayed in December and sit fourth in the English Premier League, twelve points adrift of leaders Manchester City. They are beginning to show signs of running away with the league after filling the net with 18 goals in only their past three games. The whole league will hope that the resurgent Gunners, who were dead last place after the first month of play, can peg the champions back a notch to start the New Year. Will The Gunners have the ammunition to make the title race a little more exciting, or will the Sky Blue avalanche of goals continue in 2022? We look at this pivotal title race matchup in this week’s edition of the EPL Betting Breakfast but don’t forget to check out all the odds for this weekend’s EPL action at Fanduel Sportsbook.
Arsenal vs. Manchester City Predictions and Picks
- Draw +380
- Under 2.5 (+158)
With Manchester City (-200) filling the net at will recently and both Liverpool and Chelsea hitting stumbling blocks, the three-horse race for the title is in danger of becoming a familiar Manchester City solo dance. Pep Guardiola and his men have not lost since October and have outscored opponents 30-5. The blue machine seems to be accelerating as well. They have averaged an astonishing six goals per match over the past three weeks. Getting goals from no less than ten different players, Machester City has become the most feared scoring unit in world football. Goals have been flying in from all angles, making double-teaming any individual impossible and fruitless as City boasts a capable talisman in almost every position with only the goalkeeper yet to bag one.
With Manchester City wearing out scorekeepers ballpoints, Arsenal (+480) has a stern task at home on their hands, but the Gunners have been on a roll themselves. Winners of four straight, Arsenal has only allowed one goal in those four matches, have three clean sheets, and outscored their opponents 14-1. They have also been very good at Emirates Stadium of late. They have not allowed a single goal since Liverpool spanked them in November, 4-0. Although a dark day for Arsenal, that match, in retrospect, has served as something of a turning point as they have only been beaten once since then.
Emile Smith Rowe has scored in each of his past three games, and Arsenal has recently had stellar outings from Bukayo Saka and Alexandre Lacazette. It would be a brave soul who called for Arsenal to win this game, knowing that the last meeting in the autumn resulted in a 5-0 dismantling at Etihad. That being said, this Gunners team is nothing if not surprising, and given the odds, they make a strong case for a draw. Mathematics suggests that the ridiculously high scoring average of Man City must cool in the coming weeks. In light of this, take the draw and the under as Arsenal has found ways to make it very difficult to score at Emirates Stadium.
