.jpg "Manchester-City-vs.-Arsenal-(NBC)")
If you're a hardcore soccer fanatic, Sunday is the day for you. The middle game of an EPL tripleheader will pit the table-toppers, Manchester City against a team that badly needs to string some wins together to start to get back into the championship discussion, Arsenal.
This Barclays Premier League duel will go down Sunday, November 5, 2017, at 9:15 a.m. ET at Etihad Stadium. The match will be televised live on NBC Sports Network.
Soccer Odds at BookMaker.eu
Manchester City -225
Arsenal +500
Draw +400
Over/Under 3.5
Odds Analysis
This is a huge spread, and it's completely justifiable. A team like Arsenal really should never been a +500 underdog in normal circumstances. That said, the Gunners are only 1-1-3 on the road this year, and they're traveling to the Etihad, where City is 4-1-0 and has already scored 21 goals this season.
Simply put, this Man City team is the best that England has to offer this season, and it isn't really all that close. That's why the oddsmakers have no problem lining the Citizens as a full ball favorite on the Asian Handicap.
Key Injuries
Arsenal is a beaten-up squad at the moment. Santiago Cazorla feels like he's never going to be healthy for the Gunners again and is already ruled out until Christmas, while Shkodran Mustafi is down for at least two or three more weeks thanks to a thigh problem. Danny Welbeck is three or so weeks from returning from a groin problem, too.
Manchester City has a couple long-term problems to deal with in Vincent Kompany and Benjamin Mendy, but at this juncture of the season, to have a team that is basically healthy aside from that is a blessing for the team at the top of the table.
Recent Form
Can City do any wrong at the moment? The Citizens locked up their place in the Champions League knockout rounds by beating Napoli in Italy on Wednesday night. The only match that wasn't won by the Pep Guardiola's side since a 1-1 draw at home against Everton on August 21 was in the EFL Cup. Even that tie against Wolverhampton saw the team through on penalties. In actuality, Guardiola probably would have been just as happy to see his team out of that tournament to have one less cup to think about as the team heads towards the holidays.
Arsenal has a big match coming on Thursday at home against Red Star Belgrade, but the team is in fine form across all competitions. The Gunners have won four straight, including a match against Red Star on the road on October 19 to start this four-game run. Only two of these matches have come in the Premier League, though, and wins at Everton and home to Swansea City aren't necessarily the types of victories that put teams like Arsenal over the top.
Free Soccer Betting Pick
We still don't feel like Arsene Wenger really knows what he's doing right now with this Arsenal side. Jack Wilshere seems to have fallen out of favor in the midfield, and we're not all that sure why that's the case, especially with Welbeck out of the fold. Alexandre Lacazette has been in good form, but he and Olivier Giroud just don't feel like they should be sharing the field at all times with Alexis Sanchez.
Teams that are mysteries like this aren't coming to the Etihad and winning this year. The Citizens have been virtually flawless of late, and it doesn't seem to matter which ones of Sergio Aguero, Raheem Sterling or Gabriel Jesus are playing the majority of the minutes. All three are playing at tip top form at the moment, and that's what's making this team so darn dangerous.
We'll happily lay the goal.
Barclays Premier League Odds: Manchester City 3, Arsenal 0
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