Soccer Odds - Arsenal vs. Manchester City Match Preview

For all intents and purposes, Arsene Wenger only has one thing left to manage for in his career. He knows that he's effectively done managing at the end of this season when he gets run out of North London, but the last gift he can still leave for Arsenal would be an FA Cup. The Gunners are in a loaded semifinals, and their matchup against Manchester City will end up being incredibly tough.

Don't miss the FA Cup action from Wembley Stadium at 10 a.m. ET on Sunday, April 23, 2017. Catch every moment of the match live on FOX Sports 1.

Soccer Odds at BookMaker.eu

Arsenal +260
Manchester City -109
Draw +285
Over/Under 3

Odds Analysis

Considering the fact that this is a cup semifinal, this is a heck of a total at a flat 3. The Gunners are, of course, defensively challenged right now, and Manchester City has made a history of wrecking teams like this one who aren't disciplined at the back. But that doesn't necessarily mean that this won't end up being a bit of a nervier tie, especially since both of these teams won't want to lose the psychological war that could go with the fact that this is also a Top 4 battle back in the EPL.

City is the deserving favorite at -109. Many believe that Pep Guardiola's side is still the most talented in England even though it has been outclassed by Chelsea in recent matches, and Arsenal in its poor form shouldn't really theoretically stand much of a chance.

How They Got Here

It's too bad for Wenger that he can really only point to the luck of the draw as to why his side remains in the FA Cup. That's not to say that the Gunners couldn't have ultimately beaten some better teams to get here, but a quarterfinal draw against fifth division Lincoln City and a fifth round draw against a Sutton United team that was more famous for its fat backup keeper than anything else are about as good as you could hope for.

Sure, Arsenal did have tough away fixtures in the third and fourth rounds respectively against Preston North End and Southampton, but particularly that 5-0 blasting at St. Mary's feels like an eternity ago.

Man City kicked off its FA Cup campaign with a potentially hazardous draw at West Ham. The Citizens ripped off a 5-0 victory and really haven't looked back from there. They crushed Crystal Palace 3-0 at Selhurst Park, and though they had a blip at Huddersfield Town in a scoreless draw, they came back home for a replay and won 5-1 before taking out Middlesbrough 2-0 on the road. Just the fact that this team has had to play four away matches is notable, and no one will doubt the great feat that was accomplished just to get here.

Free Soccer Betting Pick

We don't necessarily know a lot about soccer, but what we do know is that motivation is a real thing. City has played well in this tournament, and Guardiola has said all the right things. But the big issue is that his club is far more focused on finishing in the Top 4 than anything else.

For Arsenal, this is it. The fans might be tired of Wenger, but the players certainly aren't and have spoken about what it would mean to bring a cup back to London even in a season that hasn't been great. Maybe a great win last weekend with a suddenly new formation with three at the back will spark this team forward. We're going to give the Gunners a legitimate chance to take this match in regulation and would bet on them at +160 to go forward into the finale.

FA Cup Odds: Arsenal 3, Manchester City 2

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