The biggest match of the Premier League season to date comes our way Sunday morning as four-time defending champion Manchester City hosts back-to-back runner-up Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium.
City is a -130 favorites on the three-way moneyline against the Gunners, who are sitting at a robust price of +400 that you likely won’t see attached to their name again this entire season.
Do the underdogs have a chance to throw an early wrench into the title race?
Both Arsenal and City are coming off of nil-nil draws in the Champions League during the midweek. The Cityzens were held scoreless by Inter Milan, while Arsenal couldn’t get off the mark against Atalanta in Bergamo.
Premier League: Arsenal vs. Manchester City odds
| Team | Moneyline | Draw | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arsenal | +400 | +245 | o2.5 (+105) |
| Manchester City | -130 | u2.5 (-135) |
It is fair to wonder if both clubs had one eye on Sunday, as neither was at their best in Europe and this match — early as it may be — has massive consequences in the Premier League.
A win for City would put it five points clear of Arsenal, while a victory for the Gunners would vault them to the top of the table. It’s a huge swing, even at this stage of the season.
Games with this much at stake can often be snoozers with both teams trying not to lose more than win, but that gets taken to a whole new level when it comes to Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal vs. Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City.
Both City and Arsenal want to dominate possession and be in control of the tempo of any given match — and they’re the two best teams in the world at doing it — so when they play one another the game can descend into a drab, lumbering tilt with very few scoring chance between them.
Arsenal and City combined for just one goal in their two Premier League meetings last season and it wouldn’t be a shock to see a similar script play out Sunday.
That means the margins will be very slim and that’s good news for the underdog, especially when that ‘dog just happens to be the second-best team in the world.
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The Gunners are dealing with a couple of key injuries, but their defensive work is still elite and they’re coming off back-to-back clean sheets against potent offensive teams (Tottenham, Atalanta).
Given how this game projects to play out, Arsenal should be able to keep City within touching distance in this contest and that’s all you can ask for at this price.
The Bet: Arsenal (+400, DraftKings)
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Michael Leboff handicaps the EPL, NHL, golf and anything else that isn’t the NFL and NBA for the NY Post. He’s up 49.73 units betting EPL with a 7.17% ROI.