Sat 14 Dec 2013 12:45 – Man City v Arsenal (Etihad Stadium)
Referee: Martin Atkinson
Two of the favourites for the Premier League title go head to head in the standout fixture of this weekend’s schedule. This game also provides some interesting match betting opportunities. Manchester City have won every game at home this season and have only lost two of their last 55 home games in the league. Arsenal are top of the table and have only lost once in their last 12 away games when they were beaten 1-0 at Old Trafford. This promises to be a close game between two teams who play exciting football and will be keen to confirm their title credentials against their rivals.
The goal betting market provides some interest in this game as there is a very good chance of over 2.5 goals with 85.7% of City’s home games and 57.1% of Arsenal’s away game producing this result. City score an average of 4.1 goals per game at home and only concede an average of 0.3. Arsenal have managed to net an average of 2 goals per game away from while conceding an average of just 0.7 goals per game. Pellegrini’s team win by an average margin of +3.9 goals per home game and Arsenal win their away games by an average margin of +1.3. Despite Arsenals impressive away record, the goal betting statistics still point towards a home win in this game.
Manchester City can also be expected to win the corner battle in this game with an average corner margin of +3.7 compared to Arsenals +0.3. The corner betting statistics point towards a +3 margin for the home side and there is a slight bias towards under 10.5 corners due to Arsenals average corner count of 8.6 per away game.
City will have an extra days rest after the mid-week Champions League fixtures and this could give them an extra advantage in this game. Both teams have a few ongoing injury issues but the absences should not affect them too much due to the overall depth of their squads.
No one has come close to beating Manchester City at home in the league this season and they have already played five of the top ten teams including Manchester United, Tottenham and Everton. Arsene Wenger’s team have a good away record but their last defeat on the road came after a Wednesday night Champions League away game, and they will be going into this weekend’s game after a tough trip to Napoli. For match betting, this should be a home win with over 2.5 goals and City should win the most corners with a margin of +3. City striker Sergio Aguero should not be overlooked for anytime goal scorer or wincast bets.
Match prediction: Man City 3-1 Arsenal