The biggest Premier League match of the 2023/24 season to date kicks off at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday as Arsenal host Manchester City in a meeting with significant title implications.
These two teams battled it out last season for the Premier League crown, with Man City making a late charge to secure their fifth title in six seasons, despite Arsenal holding a lead for much of the year. The turning point of the season was Man City's 4-1 win over Arsenal in late April, indicating these matchups carry massive weight on the eventual result.
This year, City hold the early lead through seven matches, but the Gunners lurk just a point behind, able to leap frog them with a pivotal victory in this game.
There are selections questions for both teams to navigate, with Arsenal potentially set to play this game without injured young star Bukayo Saka, and Man City possibly getting John Stones back to mitigate the absence of a suspended Rodri.
LIVE: Arsenal vs Man City score updates and highlights from Emirates Stadium
Arsenal vs Man City match facts
- Date: Sunday, October 8, 2023
- Kickoff Time: 4:30 p.m. local (11:30 a.m. ET / 8:30 a.m. PT)
- Location: Emirates Stadium (London, England)
- Official: Michael Oliver
- Last meeting: Man City 1-1 Arsenal (Aug. 6, 2023 | Community Shield)
Arsenal vs Man City prediction, odds
- Moneyline lean: Man City (+140)
- Score prediction: Arsenal 1-3 Man City
Arsenal are battling a long streak of defeats to Manchester City, with Pep Guardiola enjoying a stranglehold over this fixture.
The Gunners secured a regulation draw and penalty shootout win over City in the Community Shield back in August, but prior to that, City had won eight consecutive meetings between these clubs and 12 straight in Premier League play. Arsenal have not beaten Man City in league play since a 2-1 result way back in 2015, a run of 15 straight league matchups without securing three points.
With Bukayo Saka clearly not fit, largely thanks to overuse by Mikel Arteta, City should have enough to come away with a victory here.
| Arsenal win | Draw | Man City win | Both teams to score Y / N | Over / Under 2.5 goals | MCI -0.5 | ARS +0.5 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BetMGM (USA) | +185 | +250 | +140 | -160 / +110 | -130 / -105 | +125 | -185 |
Arsenal vs Man City best bet
- Pick: Over 2.5 goals
- Odds: -130 (BetMGM)
While this summer's Community Shield, which finished 1-1 before the Arsenal win on penalties, can give some pause, it's likely that this match features a flurry of goals — at least enough to clear this low bar.
Since Arsenal's last win in Premier League play over Man City in 2015, these two teams have gone over the 2.5 goal threshold in 13 of their 15 league matchups, plus another three of six meetings in all other competitions.
This year, both have shown a propensity to score goals, with both in the top five in expected goals (xG). While they also appear in the top three amongst expected goals allowed (xGA), indicating they present defensive prowess as well, there's reason to believe that can be bested. Rodri's absence presents a problem for Man City, as evident in the recent defeat to Wolves, and Arsenal were undone for two goals on 2.21 xG against Tottenham at home recently.
Arsenal vs Man City prop bet
- Pick: Julian Alvarez to score or assist a goal
- Odds: +140 (FanDuel)
Argentine international Julian Alvarez has stepped directly into the spotlight this season for Manchester City. With Kevin de Bruyne injured and Erling Haaland struggling to meet last season's lofty bar, Alvarez has become the club's most important player.
Alvarez leads the Champions League in both chances created and shots from outside the penalty area, and proved against RB Leipzig that he can make good on those long-range efforts. In the Premier League, he ranks near the top of the charts in both those categories as well, and is second on Manchester City in xG (behind Haaland) and xA (behind Rodri).
With Rodri still suspended and Haaland not quite as prolific as last season's absurd heights, Alvarez will continue to play a huge role within this Man City squad and is likely to be central to any success they have in north London.
Arsenal vs Man City live stream, TV channel
The match between Arsenal and Manchester City has been selected by NBC for exclusive streaming on Peacock. This means the game will not be available on cable television, and can only be accessed with a Peacock account.
In Canada, the match will be shown on Fubo, as are all Premier League games this season.
| TV channel | Streaming | |
|---|---|---|
| USA | — | Peacock |
| Canada | — | Fubo |
MORE: Watch Premier League matches live with Fubo in USA
