Betting Match Preview: Manchester City v Arsenal (Premier League)

Manchester City v Arsenal, Premier League, September 12, 2009

Manchester City 19/10; Draw 23/10; Arsenal 7/5

This fixture has taken on even greater importance this season as big-spending Manchester City look to buy their way into the Big Four, and many pundits have predicted that Arsenal would be the team to drop out of the Champions League spots.

On the evidence of the 2009/2010 Premier League season so far, Mark Hughes’ side are well capable of finishing in one of the top four positions and whilst Arsenal look good enough to challenge for the title (Gunners are 11/2 to win the Premier League), they cannot afford a second consecutive defeat in Manchester.

Much of the focus ahead of this encounter will surely be trained in on Kolo Toure and Emmanuel Adebayor (5/1 to score first). Both players returned to Manchester in midweek as the Ivory Coast and Togo had just one World Cup qualifier and should be buoyed by recent events. Toure was named as the Manchester City captain in midweek whilst Adebayor has so far scored in every Premier League game.

This match will be a major test for City’s rearguard which is yet to concede a goal this season (City are 23/10 to shut out Arsenal). Shay Given has been in fine fettle in the opening matches of the campaign and could well one of the best signings bought with the money from Dubai. A back four of Richards, Bridge, Lescott and Toure looks great on paper, how it fares against the free flowing Gunners attack will be an indicator for the rest of the season.

So far City have faced some pretty impotent attacks and Mark Hughes may well start with two enforcers in midfield, likely to be Gareth Barry and Nigel de Jong. With Carlos Tevez definitely out, Robinho (if fit from a thigh complaint) will be hoping to replicate his form from this fixture last season when he scored in a 3-0 win in probably Arsenal’s worst performance of the campaign. (Robinho is 9/4 to score

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