Premier League Game of the Week: Arsenal and Man City have old scores to settle

2023-24 has been fascinating for both teams. One could argue that they’ve both gotten a little bit worse since last season’s highs; Arsenal’s eye-catching signings have yet to gel and the team is clearly missing Granit Xhaka in defensive midfield, while City looks duller without the attacking spark of Riyad Mahrez and Ilkay Gundogan. Both teams are also missing key players: Arsenal is without Jurrien Timber and Bukayo Saka, while City is without Kevin De Bruyne and Rodri, the latter of whom will miss this game due to a silly red card picked up against Nottingham Forest.

Weaker or no, these two teams are still expected to challenge for the Premier League title, and that means this game could determine who takes home the trophy in 2023/4. Man City has the clear edge in Premier League play; it’s won 12 straight games against Arsenal in the league. But Arsenal has the most recent win between the two, picking up a victory in the Community Shield game this August. Things look extraordinarily tight between the two … so where are the best bets hiding?

Result / Both Teams to Score

Man City has this aura about it when it plays Arsenal; it’s hard to imagine anything other than a record-tying 13^th straight victory for the Citizens. But with Rodri missing from that crucial transition point between defense and midfield, we think Arsenal might give this one a better fight than usual. At +350, a Man City win with both teams to score feels like an interesting call.

First Team to Score

Arsenal has scored first in five of its seven Premier League fixtures thus far; at +110 to be the first team to score, this feels like a safe shout — especially when City has traditionally found its goals later in the game. Bettors who like this call and the one that came before it could take a stab at a big payout by opting for Arsenal to be ahead at halftime and City to win the game for the dizzying odds of +2500.

Anytime Goalscorer

Given City’s unique weaknesses in the center of the field, it’s hard to bet against Martin Ødegaard in this game. He’s a steal at +300 to score a goal anytime … but braver fans may want to take a punt on him scoring the first goal at +850, too. Can't you just picture that perfectly placed Ødegaard daisy-cutter from outside the box sliding past Ederson and into the City net? We certainly can.