Manchester City and Arsenal take a break from Premier League action as they clash in the last 32 of the FA Cup on Friday night.
The Gunners find themselves five points clear of City with a game in hand, as the race for the title hots up. It’s all about getting to Wembley here though and both sides will have their sights firmly fixed on progression in this competition.
Here, we’ll preview this epic FA Cup clash and provide our betting tips for the big game in the hopes we can help you land a winner.
De Bruyne likely to start.
City manager Pep Guardiola may see this as an opportunity to show the incredible strength in depth that his team has. So far this season, star midfielder Kevin De Bruyne has surprisingly found himself starting on the bench at times. He may get the nod to start here in the hopes that he can produce something special for the hosts.
They’ll have a tough time getting past Mikel Arteta’s boys though, who are in fine form and are full of confidence heading into this titanic clash. Their dramatic 3-2 win over Manchester United on Sunday will have set them up perfectly here and they’ll travel to the North West believing they can win this.
Expect goals.
One thing that both of these teams know how to do is score goals. In each of their last five games collectively, there has been a total of 34 goals scored, an average of 3.4 goals per game. As good as they both are at going forward, they do also show some defensive weaknesses at times, and that’s why backing both teams to score in this game looks to be the safe choice.
Such is the talent of both teams here, this could end up looking more like a basketball score than a football one come full time. Three of the last five clashes at The Etihad between these two have produced four or more goals, so a punt on the over 3.5 goals market for this game looks to be a good one.
Key players.
Erling Haaland continues to score goals for fun in this City side, having bagged a hattrick against Wolves last weekend. The Norwegian powerhouse just loves finding the net and, if he is given a start by Guardiola, he’ll be keen to add to his already impressive tally. Haaland to score two or more goals could be a decent bit of value.
Eddie Nketiah may have stolen the headlines with his last gasp winner against United, but it’s Bakoyo Saka who continues to impress in an Arsenal shirt. He comes flying out of the blocks and his pace and trickery is proving a nightmare for defenders. Arteta will want a fast start from his boys here, so we’re expecting Saka to score first in this one.
Suggested bets.
- Over 3.5 Goals
- Haaland to Score Two or More Goals
- Saka to Score First
- 3-2 Correct Score
