football | Monday, April 24, 2023 11:51 AM (Revised at: Wednesday, April 26, 2023 5:36 PM)

Manchester City vs Arsenal Bet Builder Tips: 11.00 Builder for Potential Title Decider

Daniel Jenkins

Manchester City vs Arsenal Bet Builder Tips: Wednesday, April 26th

The Premier League title could be decided and we’ve got Manchester City vs Arsenal Bet Builder Tips for the match this Wednesday, April 26th. Arsenal go into the match five points clear at the top but their rivals have two games in hand. A win for City would truly put them in the driver’s seat for the title.

In this article:

Manchester City vs Arsenal Preview
Manchester City vs Arsenal Stats & Facts
Manchester City vs Arsenal Bet Builder

Manchester City vs Arsenal Preview

England, Premier League, Wednesday, April 26th, 20:00 (UK)

With the fixture schedule, Arsenal had the very real possibility of coming into this game nine points clear at the top. Letting a two-goal lead slip at Anfield must have hurt Mikel Arteta’s men but games against West Ham and Southampton offered solace. Lightning struck twice as they let another 2-0 lead slip at West Ham while Friday’s match against the Saints required two late goals to rescue a point. Arsenal are still five points clear at the top but their momentum has halted.

Meanwhile, Manchester City appear to be hitting form at the right time. Pep Guardiola’s men have won 11 of their last 12 matches in all competitions. They’ve won 11 straight games at home, brushing aside Bayern Munich, Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal themselves in an FA Cup clash back in January.

City often find their stride in the last few months of a campaign. This season they feel particularly strong considering their position at the start of the calendar year. City were dropping points in the league, drawing too many in the Champions League and had internal problems in the squad. Pep Guardiola criticised his “happy flowers team”, claiming they were too comfortable and lacked the “hunger and fire” of what was a flowing Arsenal team.

The message appears to have finally hit home for these Manchester City players. Guardiola has found a formation that gets the most of the squad and the team is flying. They even had the chance to rest all of Kevin De Bruyne, Rodri, Ederson and John Stones at the weekend as they booked a place in the FA Cup Final.

The only major concern is the fitness of Nathan Ake who has been integral on the left side of a back three. Such is the quality of City’s squad, the 2018-19 PFA Team of the Year nominee and four-time Premier League title winner, Aymeric Laporte is a useful deputy.

Arsenal have no such option at the back. There is a clear before and after for Arsenal’s defensive solidity since centre-back William Saliba’s injury. The Gunners won five straight league games before Saliba’s injury, keeping clean sheets in three of them. They’ve since won nine points from a possible 15, conceding nine times in those five fixtures. They’re struggling to control matches and I get the feeling they won’t be in charge of this one.

Manchester City vs Arsenal Stats & Facts

20% of the Premier League goals Arsenal have conceded this season have come in their last three matches
Erling Haaland has scored more goals in his last 11 appearances for Manchester City than any Arsenal player has all season
A defeat here would be Arsenal’s third to Manchester City this season. It would be the third time that has happened in six seasons
Arsenal’s win percentage in the Premier League drops from 77.8% when William Saliba plays to 40% when he doesn’t

Manchester City vs Arsenal Bet Builder

It’s hard to look beyond a comfortable Manchester City win. Arsenal have lost each of their last 11 Premier League matches against City. It’s their longest losing streak against an opponent in their top-flight history.

All things must end but not on Wednesday. Under Guardiola, City have won each of their six home league games against the Gunners by an aggregated scoreline of 17-3. City have won 10 of the last 15 meetings with Arsenal by a margin of two or more goals. I’m adding that to my bet slip to kick things off.

I’m using bet365 to create a Bet Builder. This is because it allows plenty of control over markets like winning margin. I can choose if I want either side to simply win the match or to win it by at least two, three, or as many as eight goals. That can then be broken down to either side winning a specified half by a certain margin or even the first 10 minutes.

It’s hardly groundbreaking but I get the feeling that Erling Haaland is a goal threat here. The Norwegian is in a ridiculous vein of form with 15 goals in his last nine appearances at the Etihad. He’s a low price to get one at any time here but it’s a good way to boost these odds.

Finally, my builder will largely depend on the outcome of this punt but I’m going for a player card. If January’s FA Cup clash between these sides is anything to go by, expect a battle between Erling Haaland and Rob Holding. The striker peeled onto Holding for much of the first half in that match as City surpassed Arsenal’s press with longer passes. I’d expect a similar approach here considering Holding is very much the second choice to the injured Saliba.

The former Bolton man usually presses high with aggressive attempts to win the ball back. Haaland will relish the one-on-one battle, just as he did in the match back in January. Holding only lasted 45 minutes in that one and still picked up a caution. Adding that selection here brings the odds up to 11.00.