The biggest match of the Premier League season will take place on Sunday morning, as four-time champions Manchester City host back-to-back runners-up Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium.
City are -130 favourites on the three-way moneyline against Arsenal, who are solid +400 odds and likely won't be priced at that again this season.
Do underdogs have a chance to cause an early upset in the title race?
Arsenal and City both played out 0-0 draws in the Champions League this week, with City held scoreless by Inter Milan and Arsenal held scoreless by Atalanta in Bergamo.
Premier League: Arsenal vs Manchester City odds
| team | Money Line | draw | total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arsenal | +400 | +245 | o2.5 (+105) |
| Manchester City | -130 | u2.5 (-135) |
With neither club at their best in Europe and this match having major (albeit early) implications for the Premier League, it's fair to wonder whether either club had their eye on Sunday's game.
A win for City would put them five points behind Arsenal and a win for Arsenal would see them move to the top of the table – a big change, even at this stage of the season.
Games with such high stakes can often be boring as both teams are trying to avoid losing rather than winning, but when it's Mikel Arteta's Arsenal against Pep Guardiola's Manchester City it reaches a whole new level.
Both City and Arsenal want to dominate the ball and control the tempo of the game, and they are the best teams in the world at doing that, so when these two teams meet it can lead to a monotonous, dull game with few scoring chances.
Arsenal and City only managed one goal combined in their two Premier League meetings last season and it would be no surprise if a similar story unfolds on Sunday.
This means the margin will be very small, which is good news for the underdog, especially if that team happens to be the second best in the world.
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Arsenal are missing several key players injured, but their defense remains excellent, keeping consecutive clean sheets against strong attacking teams (Tottenham, Atalanta).
Considering how this game is going to play out, Arsenal should be able to keep City within striking distance in this one and at this price, that's all you can hope for.
Bet: Arsenal (+400, DraftKings)
Why trust New York Post Betting?
Michael Lebov handicaps every sport except the Premier League, NHL, golf, NFL and NBA for the New York Post. He bets 49.73 units on the Premier League with an ROI of 7.17%.
