Arsenal vs Manchester City Preview

Arsenal vs Man City

Saturday 4 April 2009,
Emirates Stadium
Kickoff: 15:00

Arsenal

Arsenal beat Newcastle 3-1 away in their last league outing, the Gunners' third straight win after a run of five straight draws.

In their last five, Arsenal have won three and drawn two, picking up eleven points from the potential fifteen. The Gunners are currently fourth in the league, trailing third placed Chelsea by six points and leading fifth placed Aston Villa by five points.

Arsenal should have striker Emmanuel Adebayor back for this match after his recent hamstring injury. Cesc Fabregas is also set to feature for Arsenal after a lengthy injury lay-off that has seen the Arsenal captain on the bench since December. Lastly, Theo Walcott looks fit and should also feature in the match.

However, the Gunners will likely be without Robin van Persie after the Dutchman picked up a groin injury in Holland's 3-0 victory over Scotland last weekend, Nicklas Bendtner, after the 21-year old picked up an injury in Denmark's 3-0 victory over Malta and Abou Diaby, after he picked up a hip injury whilst training with the French national team.

Manchester City

Manchester City beat Sunderland 1-0 at home in their last league outing.

In their last five, Man City have won two, drawn one and lost two, earning seven points from a possible fifteen. Manchester City currently sit 10th in the league, two points behind ninth placed Fulham and equal on points with 11th placed Tottenham.

Man City should have Shaun Wright-Phillips in contention after recovering from a back injury, with Daniel Sturridge and Benjani both hopeful for a return as well. Robinho is also likely to be fit for this match but Craig Bellamy is in doubt.

Manchester City are also still likely to be without Stephen Ireland and Wayne Bridge, as well as Dietmar Hamann and Martin Petrov.

Prediction

Manchester City beat Arsenal 3-0 earlier this season at the City of Manchester Stadium, whilst last season's Arsenal vs Manchester City fixture saw the Gunners victorious with a 1-0 scoreline.

With the return of several key players from injury, Arsenal are set to become even more dangerous on the pitch. Even without many of their big names, the Gunners have performed strongly over the last month, and the return of the likes of Fabregas, Walcott and Adebayor to the side are likely to boost an already in-form team.

Manchester City's form on the other hand has been sketchy of late, only winning one of every two or three in the Premier League since the start of February. Couple this with the current fourth worst away record in the league, and Man City definitely have a steep mountain to climb if they are going to take any points away from the Emirates.

The Gunners' strong home record this season, impressive recent form and the massive boost to their squad by the return from injury of several big-name players all point towards a comfortable Arsenal victory in this encounter.

For the complete preview with the best online betting odds for the match, go to the Arsenal vs Man City page.

For Saturday's matches, we have also previewed the Fulham vs Liverpool and Newcastle vs Chelsea matches. Whilst on Sunday, a big match in Man Utd vs Aston Villa has been previewed as well.