An explosive evening’s entertainment looks guaranteed as the Premier League’s top two for points and goals scored collide under the Friday night lights in Manchester. Check out our best bets for the FA Cup fourth round showdown below, along with the rationale for adding them to your betslip.
Man City vs Arsenal betting tips
Red card in match – Yes @ TBC
Eddie Nketiah to score anytime @ TBC
Total goals over 3.5 @ 8/5
Man City vs Arsenal tips: Red card in match – Yes @ X/X
There’s plenty riding on this match – the first meeting this season between league leaders Arsenal and the defending champions, who are also their closest top-flight pursuers.
For the Gunners, victory away to City is the statement of all statements. Proof positive they have no one to fear as they hunt down their first title since 2003/04.
For City, this is the chance to remind Arsenal of their status as dominant force in the recent history of English football, just over a fortnight before their first league clash of the campaign.
On top of that a win means eliminating either club’s main rival to win the FA Cup. A full-blooded affair looks inevitable and cards should be brandished as a consequence.
Arsenal had a man sent off home and away against Guardiola’s men last term courtesy of Gabriel’s two yellows for gamesmanship and dissent and Granit Xhaka’s two-footed lunge.
With more on the line in this first meeting of a 2022/23 trilogy, another early bath looks worth backing.
Man City vs Arsenal tips: Eddie Nketiah to score anytime @ X/X
Anything Erling Haaland can do Eddie Nketiah can do, if not better, then equally as well, with both men having bagged seven goals in their last seven showings for their clubs.
Nketiah may not make scoring goals look as absurdly easy as the totemic Norwegian, but the Lewisham native showed something of Haaland’s ability to materialise in the right place at the right time for his two well-taken goals against Manchester United.
First Arsene Wenger and then Arteta have shown great faith in the 23-year-old and he’s beginning to repay that with interest in the most prolific spell of his Gunners career.
Those who prefer to play at longer anytime-scorer odds might fancy chancing City defensive midfielder Rodri (X/X to net anytime), who struck home and away against Arsenal last season.
However, with lightning not usually in the habit of striking thrice, the preferred play is the man in the same form as Haaland, but available at far more interesting odds. Eddie Nketiah.
Man City vs Arsenal tips: Total goals over 3.5 @ 13/8
At the risk of completely and utterly cursing this match into being a massive anti-climax, over 3.5 goals just can’t go unbacked at 13/8.
City (3.61) are the only team in the Premier League whose games average north of 3.5 total goals in EPL action this season (as per soccerstats.com) but Arsenal aren’t far behind on an average of 3.21.
Guardiola’s men even hit four by themselves without Haaland when swatting Chelsea aside 4-0 in their FA Cup third-round win.
Two of the last four encounters between these adversaries saw five goals netted, with City doing the lion’s share of the netting in 5-0 and 4-1 wins.
This time they face an Arsenal side with a massive amount more confidence and well capable of keeping up their end of the bagging bargain for over 3.5 goals bettors.
