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Arsenal vs Manchester City Preview: Tips, Odds and Prediction

Date: January 2, 2025 Kickoff Time: 17:30 Local Time (19:30 ET/09:30 PT) Venue: Emirates Stadium Arsenal and Manchester City meet each other at this point of the season with a slightly different storyline compared to the previous campaign. Manchester City are shockingly not title contenders this time around while Arsenal’s charge for the championship is rocky and does not look to threaten Arne Slot’s high-flying Liverpool. Our expert analysis preview of this encounter is one that betting enthusiasts looking for the best Premier League betting insights should look into with much consideration.

Jimmy Modise
Jimmy Modise

Last Updated: 2025-01-30

Chad Nagel

6 minutes read

Manchester City FC v Arsenal FC - Premier League

Manchester City FC v Arsenal FC - Premier League//Getty Images

The first-round encounter between Arsenal and Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium served much drama and entertainment.

Heading into the Emirates Stadium we would have thought that City would be challenging for honours but that is not the case.

However, this game is a modern day classic and it will serve up similar drama with both teams looking to continue where they left off in their last Premier League games with wins.

Pre-Game Odds and Win Probability

  1. Home: 21/20 (2.05) 48.8%

  2. Draw: 277/100 (3.77) 26.5%

  3. Away: 267/100 (3.67) 27.2%

  4. *Odds courtesy of 1xBet, subject to change

Head-to-Head record

Two draws in the most recent games with Manchester City last beating Arsenal back in 2023 in a 4-1 thrashing. Four out of the five previous games have had goals barring one and both teams have been honest opponents to each other in recent years with classic duels.

Last 5 Meetings

  1. 22/09/24: Manchester City 2-2 Arsenal

  2. 31/03/24: Manchester City 0-0 Arsenal

  3. 08/10/23: Arsenal 1-0 Manchester City

  4. 26/04/23: Manchester City 4-1 Arsenal

  5. 15/02/23: Arsenal 1-3 Manchester City 

Arsenal Current Form – WDWDW

Failing to string wins on the trot, Arsenal have won and drew, in that pattern in their last five games in the Premier League.

Besides the 3-1 win over Brentford, the other four games were not convincing. They have either left it too late or committed costly errors.

Another area we find fault in them is the victimhood mentality they have employed, complaining about referees in every game. 

We believe this is something Arteta must try to change in his team’s attitude for better results.

Gabriel of Arsenal celebrates scoring his team's second goal

Gabriel of Arsenal celebrates scoring his team's second goal//Getty Images

Key Players to Watch

  • Thomas Partey: Played in the right position, in the center of midfield, Partey is unstoppable and his ratings in the previous game attest to this. Arteta will have to play him in his natural position if he wants to have a chance against City’s midfield.
  • Kai Havertz: Not the best frontman out there, but the potential is there without denying him his plaudits. On his good day, Havertz can trouble most defenses.
  • Gabriel Martinelli: His pace will be troublesome for City’s fullbacks. The Brazilian plays a key role in the 4-3-3 formation playing in a wider position.

Arsenal Team News

Myles Lewis-Skelly’s suspension has been rescinded and chances are he will feature against City. Several key players remain out owing to injury and that means Mikel Arteta will have to improvise in certain positions. 

Manchester City Current Form – WWDWW

Unbeaten in their last five games, City have turned the corner in the Premier League.

The players’ body language on the pitch gives an indication of a slow return to normalcy for them and the points accumulated recently speak to that fact.

They have thirteen points from a possible fifteen in that period from wins against Chelsea, Ipswich, West Ham, Leicester City and a 2-2 draw at Brentford.

Liverpool still has a considerable gap between them though and we do not see them defending their title this season.

Key Players to Watch

  • Phil Foden: If Foden is on song, expect City to be a menace against any opponent, that is how important he is to the team. The English man scored against Chelsea and overall had a good run.
  • Josko Gvardiol: One player we expect to give Arsenal’s front three a tough time is Josko Gvardiol. Hard running Martinelli and Leandro Trossard will have their work cut out trying to make it past him.
  • Erling Haaland: The Viking is without doubt their key player going into any game. He scored the last time out in the tense 2-2 draw and will need to bring that fire again in the second-round encounter.

Manchester City Team News

Nathan Ake, Ruben Dias, Rodri, who is out long-term, and Jeremy Doku will not feature Pep Guardiola on the day.

Predicted Line-ups

  1. Arsenal: 4-3-3

    Raya, Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko, Rice, Partey, Nwaneri, Trossard, Havertz, Martinelli

  2. Manchester City: 4-2-3-1

    Ederson, Nunes, Khusanov, Akanji, Gvardiol, Gundogan, Kovavic, Foden, Marmoush, Silva, Haaland

Suggested Bets

This will be a very tight encounter looking at how Arsenal approaches such games and as such the safer the bet, the better. That is the route we went with our suggested bets.

  1. Double Chance – Arsenal Win/Draw: We predict Arsenal to get a favourable result against City. Arteta has mastered playing against the defending champions and does not give much away, therefore, chances of them winning or drawing are alive. (8/25 with 1xBet)

  2. Total Goals – Under 3.5: Despite the high-scoring and tempestuous first round game between these two teams, we do not foresee a similar result as Arteta tends to play a low-block against bigger opposition in the latter stages of the campaign to at least salvage something in his charge for the title. (41/100 with Betway).

  3. Arsenal Total Goals – 0.5: The Gunners will score at least one goal in this game despite City’s resurgence because they have more to play for, chasing a Liverpool team that does not look like it will be stopped in the title race. (5/2 with N1Bet).

Value Bets

Looking at both teams’ recent results and other dynamics in that regard, we believe our chosen value bets will offer value. Pick your favourite in our selection and stand a chance to make good returns with the good odds-on offer from the bookies.

  1. Anytime Goalscorer – Phil Foden: He is slowly regaining form and becoming the Phil Foden we have been accustomed to and in big matches. Expect him to pull his shoestrings and have a goal contribution of some sort. (15/4 with Betandyou).

  2. Arsenal To Win to Nil – Yes: If they score first, they will employ defensive tactics to hold City off. That has been the approach in most of their games with the Premier League’s big boys, especially at this interval of the season. (74/25 with Pinnacle Bet).

  3. Arsenal Sending Off – Yes: With Arsenal’s attitude towards refereeing in the Premier and the number of sending offs they have this season, four in total after Skelly-Lewis got sent off in their previous game, consider the likelihood of another red card, we think it is possible. (13/2 with BC.Game.).

Prediction: Draw

Mikel Arteta is conservative in such encounters and would rather walk away with one point than nothing. A draw is thus possible looking into their head-to-head history at this point of the season and how games are approached. (247/100). 

Jimmy Modise
Jimmy ModiseSports Writer

Jimmy is based in Johannesburg, South Africa and has a Diploma in Journalism and Media Studies. He’s a sports fanatic of several sporting disciplines which he is well versed with.

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