Man City vs Arsenal EPL Week 5 Odds & Prediction
- Guardiola’s stuttering team host Arteta’s in-form Gunners at 12:30 PM EST on Saturday, October 17th, 2020
- City lost 5-2 against Leicester City in last home game while Arsenal have won three times
- See all odds and best bets for Premier League Matchday 5 Manchester City vs Arsenal
Manchester City needs to kick start their season after a distinctly average beginning when they host Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday.
Pep Guardiola’s expensively assembled City team are in the unfamiliar territory of 14th place in the Premier League.
They will go without a win in three league games for the first time since April 2017 if they do not beat the Gunners this weekend with a 12:30 PM EST kickoff time.
EPL Manchester City vs Arsenal Odds
| Team | Spread | Moneyline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manchester City | -1.5 (+123) | -220 | O 2.5 (-240) |
| Arsenal | +1.5 (-146) | +525 | U 2.5 (+185) |
| Draw | (N/A) | +400 | (N/A) |
0dds taken Oct. 16 at DraftKings.
Arsenal, managed by Guardiola’s former assistant coach at City Mikel Arteta, have started better and are in fourth place – already five points clear of City.
But as the EPL hits Matchday 5 the hosts will take inspiration from the fact that they have won their last six matches against Arsenal.
Let's take a look back at our most recent goals against the Gunners! ⚽️🔥
⚽️ #GoalsOfTheDay
🔷 #ManCity | https://t.co/axa0klD5re pic.twitter.com/QqlepVKYbk— Manchester City (@ManCity) October 16, 2020
At Draftkings.com, City are a surprisingly wide -220 for a win with Arsenal priced at an equally surprising +525. The best value here, though, is the draw at +400.
Partey Set For Debut
Arteta is are set to give a debut to Arsenal’s new $75 million midfield signing Thomas Partey who has arrived from Atletico Madrid as the Spanish coach puts his rebuilding plans into action in his first full season in command.
City are beset by defensive problems and lost their only other home game in this campaign 5-2 against Leicester City.
They have signed 23-year-old Portuguese international Ruben Dias for a massive $92 million to help deal with their troubles at the back and he made his debut in the 1-1 draw at Leeds United in the last game before the international break.
Could Arsenal cause an upset against Manchester City? 👀
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) October 15, 2020
But Guardiola is facing a troubling set of injuries to key performers with Kevin De Bruyne, Raheem Sterling, Gabriel Jesus, and Sergio Aguero all nursing problems of varying seriousness.
City won 3-1 at Wolves in their opening game before the defeat by Leicester and the draw at Leeds.
The humiliation by Leicester was the worst home defeat suffered by Guardiola during his glittering managerial career.
It is the worst start since 2010-11 for last season’s title runners-up and they may have to begin wondering if the big prize is already beyond them if they do not win this crunch fixture.
The humiliation by Leicester was the worst home defeat suffered by Guardiola during his glittering managerial career.
EPL Manchester City vs Arsenal Statistics
| 1 | Wins | 3 |
| 1 | Losses | 1 |
| 1 | Draws | 0 |
| 6 | Goals | 8 |
| 7 | Goals Against | 5 |
| 0 | Clean Sheets | 1 |
| 5 | Yellow Cards | 4 |
| 0 | Red Cards | 0 |
After a subsequent 3-1 setback at Anfield against champions Liverpool, they recovered with a hard-fought 2-1 victory at home against Sheffield United last time out.
FA Cup Triumph Last Season
Arteta has brought a new sense of optimism to Arsenal and he won the FA Cup last season after taking over from Unai Emery last December.
Significantly, Arteta has improved his side’s record against fellow members of the EPL’s Big Six by securing wins at home against City, Manchester United, Chelsea, and Liverpool – whom they have defeated three times at their London HQ, at Wembley in the pre-season Community Shield and in a recent EFL cup tie at Anfield.
How Arsenal will line up against Man City with £45m midfielder Partey set to make debut but Tierney must self-isolate https://t.co/gGBjLx2EJf
— Sun Sport (@SunSport) October 16, 2020
The next step is to claim an away win against a fellow member of the elite which they last managed when they won 2-1 at City in January 2015.
The Gunners won 2-0 the last time they faced City at home in July but were beaten 3-0 at the Etihad when the EPL resumed last summer.
However, that will require an improvement in the team’s general away form as they have won only four of their last 20 EPL games on the road.
Against that as a further indicator of current form, they have won eight of their last 12 EPL matches stretching back into last season when they finished eighth.
Felix Magath on Guardiola 🗣
“Messi won the titles, not Guardiola. Without Messi, this system has never worked as successfully for Guardiola, otherwise he would have won the Champions League with Bayern or Manchester City long ago.” pic.twitter.com/Jq1PryQmBM
— Purely Football (@PurelyFootball) October 12, 2020
The Gunners won 2-0 the last time they faced City at home in July but were beaten 3-0 at the Etihad when the EPL resumed last summer.
They have conceded three goals on each of their last three visits to City.
The teams also met in the FA Cup semifinal at Wembley in July when Arsenal won 2-0.
Pick: Draw (+400)
John Dillon is a leading member of the UK's sporting media, having spent three decades as a national newspaper soccer and sports writer, broadcaster and author. He has covered five World Cups, six European Championships and was Chief Sports Writer at the Daily Express for 14 years.
