Numbers are not for everyone – a sentence my old maths teacher used to say to me quite frequently due to my clear lack of understanding when it came to the subject. I used to hate it, in truth. Boring, mundane and just outright difficult. Had no time for it. That was until I started betting on football, where researching the statistics and cold, hard figures in-depth before a particular fixture to aid my selections became imperative to my weekly routine.
Football is a game of sheer unpredictability and much of the time, regardless of how much research and number-crunching you have put into a bet before a game, results on the pitch do not reflect the statistics off of it. That’s just part of the sport and, in many ways, is what makes it so exciting.
However, a lot of the time it does pay to be savvy. It is worthwhile to analyse the form book and spend some time looking into the historical trends of a certain match so you have a better understanding of what to potentially expect when two teams meet.
We understand that you may not have the time to do this, though, especially around Christmas time, which is why we’ve done it for you for this weekend’s mouth-watering clash between Arsenal and Manchester City at the Emirates. Let’s get started.
Last 10 meetings in the Premier League – Arsenal v Manchester City
Goals
There has been a total of 33 goals scored (both teams combined) during the previous 10 league meetings between Arsenal and Manchester City. Both teams to score has landed in seven of the last 10 meetings between the two Premier League titans, suggesting a repeat this Sunday. Manchester City’s defence is the weakest it’s been in over two years without Aymeric Laporte to rely on, so we’re expecting the Gunners to find some joy in front of goal here.
The same can be said for Arsenal’s flimsy back-line. Freddie Ljumberg’s side have not kept a clean sheet in the Premier League since early October and City have scored at least once in their previous 13 games in all competitions, so we would be massively surprised if they didn’t find an opening at least once this weekend.
Cards
This fixture is a particularly dirty one. Late tackles and ill-discipline galore. Really poorly behaved teams, the pair of ‘em. Throughout the previous two-three seasons there has been a huge gulfing class between these two sides, with City gunning for the title and Arsenal desperately trying to just get back into the top-four (and failing miserably).
However, this season the two teams’ objectives are relatively the same. Realistically, City have blown their chances of winning the league for a third consecutive year after losing to United last weekend, so now need to just make sure they finish in the top-four, which they obviously will.
Arsenal are currently seven points off the elusive Champions League spaces and already look as though they will be playing in Europe’s second-rate competition again next term, but could still obtain a top-four finish with a decent run of form. It all makes for a tense battle in north London this Sunday, in which plenty of cards are expected to be shown.
During the previous 10 league meetings between Arsenal and Man City, there has been a total of 49 yellow cards brandished – 22 for the Gunners and 27 for City. Interestingly, during those matches not one red card has occurred; could that change this weekend? Probably not, but it’s definitely worth backing a booking or three this Sunday.
Undoubtedly, the dirtiest player in this fixture is City defender Nicolas Otamendi. The Argentine has picked up four yellow cards in his last six appearances against the Gunners, so he could be a decent option for your bet builder.
Arsenal’s most-booked players this term are Matteo Guendouzi, Granit Xhaka and Sokratis – each of whom have four yellow’s to their name – so it may be a good idea to also include one of those players if you’re looking to boost the odds.
Goalscorers
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is undoubtedly Arsenal’s biggest goalscoring threat. The 30-year-old is the Gunners’ leading goalscorer with 11 league goals to his name so far, with his latest strike coming in the 3-1 win over West Ham on Monday evening.
The Gabon international is yet to score against City in three league appearances but will be eager to change that unwelcome statistic this weekend. Aubameyang heads into this dual brimming with confidence after his recent performance against the Hammers, where he bagged a goal and an assist at the London Stadium.
Manchester City’s biggest threat will be Gabriel Jesus in the absence of Sergio Aguero. The Brazilian notched a hat-trick for City against Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League on Wednesday so carries plenty of momentum into the fixture. However, he did go massively missing against United last Saturday, with question marks surrounding his ability to perform against the Premier League’s bigger teams. Against a defence as shaky as Arsenals, though, we reckon he could find an opening.
Corners
Lastly, backing plenty of corners this weekend is a wise move when you take a quick glance at the stats. Manchester City (150) and Arsenal (125) have taken the most corners in the Premier League this season, so surely we’ll be treated to plenty more at the Emirates. Both teams to take more than 4 corners is our tip for the game.
Odds correct as of 2019-12-12 14:18:59