Manchester City vs. Arsenal Betting Preview – EPL, October 17, 2020

There are some big games on Saturday in the English Premier League and Arsenal’s trip north to take on Manchester City at the Etihad is definitely one of the most eagerly awaited.

Mikel Arteta will be taking on his former master in Pep Guardiola and attempting to heap more pressure on the City boss in the early stages of the season.

Things have just not gone to plan for Manchester City this season so far, as it has only won one of its first three games. But BetOnline still has faith in the home side and, with Arsenal’s tendency to struggle on the road, the home win bet might be the one to go for even though the odds are not that attractive.

It is not too much of a stretch to suggest that Manchester City was outplayed by Leeds in its last fixture before the international break. But with Marcelo Bielsa at the helm of the Yorkshire club, City won’t be the last ones to suffer that fate this season – and the 1-1 draw may well end up looking like a good result.

But it is not the kind of start to the season that Guardiola would have been wanting. After handing Liverpool the title well before the end of the campaign last season, City needs to be winning games at the beginning of this one – and so far that has not happened. Arsenal could be in for a torrid time on Saturday.

But the Gunners have looked far better than they have for a long time – and it does seem to be all down to Mikel Arteta’s influence. He has breathed new life into the club and brought out the confidence that the Arsenal players have been sorely missing for a number of years.

Hector Bellerin was instrumental in both the goals scored against Sheffield United last time out, but it has been a real team performance so far. The addition of Thomas Partey from Atletico Madrid at the end of the transfer window has acted as a huge boost to the squad and Arsenal could surprise a few teams – even away from home – this season.

There is an alarming lack of out and out strikers available for Manchester City at the moment – with both Gabriel Jesus and Sergio Aguero injured – but there is still enough attacking talent in the squad to give Arsenal a good game. This might be closer than this fixture has been for a while but I think City will just about edge it.