Chelsea is starting to threaten to open up a relatively big lead in the Premier League as we head into the holidays. The Blues have six points on the rest of the field, and they have to love the fact that their two biggest challengers, Arsenal and Manchester City are playing against each other this weekend.
At 11 a.m. ET, tune into NBC Sports Network for live television coverage of this BPL match on Sunday, December 18, 2016, at Etihad Stadium.
Soccer Odds at BookMaker.eu
Manchester City +125
Arsenal +225
Draw +250
Over/Under 3
Odds Analysis
This really is a cracker of a match and should be considered prime viewing for soccer bettors. We know that Manchester City deserves to be the favorite here, but the fact that it's lined at just +125 really tells the tale of two teams that are basically dead evenly matched.
The total has to be high for obviously reasons. These two teams have combined to score 71 goals in just 16 matches this year, and though both have great defenses as well, so often in these fixtures between the big boys, we see both teams strike, and if one ends up netting a winner, that's at least good enough to get to the total. That's why this one is seeing a total of a flat three.
Key Injuries
The last thing the Citizens needed was another major injury. With Vincent Kompany now officially out for the rest of the calendar year thanks to an ankle injury and both Fernandinho and Sergio Aguero suspended for a couple more matches, losing Ilkay Gundogan against Watford was a big deal. He has knee ligament damage and is going to be out "for a long time" according to Pep Guardiola.
Arsenal picked up a couple new knocks as well. Shkodran Mustafi has a hamstring injury that took him out of the lineup against Stoke City last weekend, while Aaron Ramsey has already been ruled out of this one thanks to a hamstring problem that also caused him to miss the Everton match at Goodison Park in the middle of the week.
Recent Form
The good news for Manchester City is that it's back in the win column after beating Watford. The bad news, of course, is the Gundogan injury that will end up very likely costing him the rest of his season. That victory though, can't be understated. The wheels could have easily come off after that Chelsea match which saw both Fernandinho and Sergio Aguero booted with red cards and issued suspensions, and a 4-2 loss to Leicester City last weekend was almost an affirmation of that situation. But now, at least the Citizens have three points under the belt again and can start to rebuild their winning ways.
Arsenal's three-game winning streak is now history. The team was beaten by Everton 2-1 in a frantic finish that nearly saw the Gunners equalize now less than four times in stoppage time. Arsene Wenger's side was the better of the two teams and deserved a better fate, and that's why we're not throwing the baby out with the bathwater quite yet.
Free Soccer Betting Pick
In fact, the loss to Everton really made this a nicer spot for Arsenal to be in. The Gunners are going to be getting a little less respect going into this match when in fact, they should probably at least be considered as a legitimate threat to get three points here at the Etihad as Chelsea did.
And in fact, that's exactly what we think is going to happen. Arsenal's form is still good enough to make us believe it has a real shot at all three points, especially with four legitimate superstar starters out of the fold for Guardiola.
BPL Odds: Arsenal 2, Manchester City 1
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