By LadyD
All eyes will be on the Ethiad this evening as Manchester City host Arsenal in a title defining match-up. As the master welcomes his apprentice, can Arteta defy the odds by taking 3 points back to London with him?
Unbeaten in 16 games, Manchester City will be eyeing up the possibility of winning a legacy defining treble. Whereas Arsenal need to bounce back from their recent run of draws. Leading by 2 goals against both Liverpool and West Ham only to be pegged back and draw both games 2-2 has only added to the importance of tonight's game.
Arteta stated "It's going to be a tough night and challenge, but the opportunity is an incredible one for us. We have to go to Man City and we have to beat them. If we want to be champions, we have to win these matches. It's as simple as that" and although the season doesn't end tonight, the mentality impact of picking up a result tonight should give either side the confidence and momentum to finish the season as champions.
Tonight's match pits Guardiola against Arteta for the third time this season, with City coming on top both times so far. However, I expect that form to continue as high-flying Manchester City have been here before, whereas Arsenal have already started to show a lack of experience towards the end of this season.
My first bet has been dictated by the specials that are on offer. With Haaland scoring goals for fun, it is impossible to ignore the BinkBet boost of 7/2 for him to score first tonight. 32 league goals in 28 games has him on track to reach 40 for the season, and in games like tonight, we can expect the big names to step up.
In what should be a tense affair on the pitch, I have been looking at some booking markets. I recommend waiting for line-ups to be announced, but the following players stand out:
Partey: With 31 fouls and 3 yellow cards across 27 games, we can expect Partey to be in the thick of things as he faces up against the best midfield in Europe.
White: 21 fouls and 5 yellow cards across 32 games. White will be lined up against a rotation combination of Grealish, Mahrez, Silva and Foden. With the title on the line, we can expect him to have his hands full against any of City's tricky wingers.
From a shooting perspective, I like the look of these:
Matinelli over 0.5 SoT: Averaging 0.98 shots on target per game, and 2.58 shots per match, Martinelli has been the stand out performer in recent weeks. Chances will be harder to come by against Man City, but with his recent run of form, we can expect a handful of attempts to be made tonight.
Grealish over 0.5 SoT: In what has been a breakout season for Grealish in the City team (5 goals 6 assists in the league), I expect him to relish in the opportunity of taking on Ben White. Averaging 1.76 shots per game, Grealish should find himself in a number of promising situations this evening. Let's just hope he can find the target.
All in all, I expect a comfortable City performance. Pep will have his player execute his strategy, and we can potentially see a performance similar to the 3-0 win over Bayern Munich a few weeks ago.
My bets for tonight (subject to team news):
Haaland to score first: 7/2 BinkBet Boost
Manchester City to win: 4/6 BetFair
Partey to be booked: 6/4 BetVictor
White to be booked: 16/5 BetVictor
Martinelli over 0.5 SoT: 5/6 BetVictor
Grealish over 0.5 Sot: 4/6 BetVictor
BetBuilder: City win, Partey and White to be booked, Martinelli and Grealish over 0.5 SoT: 49/1 BetVictor
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