Manchester City vs Arsenal: Preview, Odds and Betting Tips - 27/01/2023 (FA Cup)

Will Arsenal stun City?

Can Gunners win FA Cup again?

The preview to the most important match in the second half of the Premier League season is here: Manchester City will be taking on Arsenal in the fourth round of the prestigious FA Cup.

Arsenal will face Manchester City for a chance to extend their record in football's oldest competition and City will be playing for one more chance at ensuring they do not end the 2022/23 season without a domestic trophy.

Looking in from the outside, Arsenal do not have much to lose should they crash out of the competition at this stage, and to City, the best team in England. It is the team from Manchester that look like they have something to lose, seeing as their last triumph in the competition came in 2019.

The Gunners will be playing for prestige as their main focus is the Premier League but will be doing so with the league at the back of their minds.

The match promises a lot of entertainment as both teams are in flying form at the moment.

A closer look at their individual form guides will show how this game could go.

Form Guide: Manchester City

Second in the Premier League from 20 games played but with a goal difference so enormous that you would think it was a glitch.

They have, however, struggled to get up and running since the 2022 FIFA World Cup ended and have had to fight back to get a result in most of their matches in that time frame.

They remain free-scoring, however, thanks to the amazing talent in their squad. This will always be a problem for any team who comes up against them.

Their defence, on the other hand, is what has left a lot to be desired since the resumption of the league season. This will be Pep Guardiola's biggest headache as he comes up against his former protégé.

City have only played one game in the FA Cup this season thanks to the allowance provided to the top-flight teams in England. That performance was better than most and it is almost a unanimous decision that they are the best-performing side in this season's FA Cup.

This is one advantage they could leverage as they face Arsenal. It will also be a good litmus test for their first Premier League clash of the season, which is the game that could make or mar the Premier League title race.

Form Guide: Arsenal

Mikel Arteta is still a greenhorn in football management even though he has survived two full years being baptized with fire in England's tough football terrain.

He has managed to shore up his defence so well to make them one of the top five defences in all of Europe this season.

The FA Cup, however, is a different ball game entirely. The one-legged knockout atmosphere can lead to miraculous outcomes. Arsenal are already at a disadvantage from the jump, having to play the tie at the Etihad and this will weigh heavily on Arteta's mind.

They can pull inspiration from the most recent happenings at the Cityzens' grounds, however. Just before the World Cup, fellow London-based side Brentford went there and got three valuable Premier League points. Everton, with all their troubles, also held them to a draw.

Arteta can set up his defence using elements from both games while making sure they do not lose their identity in attack when he leads his side to his former stomping grounds, thanks to his incredible versatility as a manager.

One thing that will surely play in his favour is that Arsenal are pacy and solid in both defence and attack and have mastered the art of killing off games early. And as shown in their most recent game against Manchester United, they can also come clutch in the dying minutes of a game.

What to expect from the match

The game will surely be as exciting as Arsenal's match on Sunday against Manchester United.

Both teams will definitely score and thanks to Guardiola's ultra-attacking instinct, it will end up being a game that will be decided not by defence, but by whose attack is more clinical.

There is no favourite to score first and there will be no penalty shootout to decide the game as the winner will emerge after 90 minutes plus additional time.

Betting predictions

Double Chance (1 or 2): An Arsenal or a Manchester City win

This is a safe bet, all factors considered.

With both teams in a similar vein of form, it will be a big risk to out rightly choose one winner.

The major consideration for this match is that Arsenal is the spiritual home of the FA Cup, so they tend to brave tough odds in the tournament. On the other hand, City are led by the man from whom Arteta learnt modern football management. William Hill is offering 1.25 odds for a team to win after 90 minutes.

Under 3.5 goals

Both are free-scoring teams and this will lead to both teams being careful in transitions from defence to attack.

Pep Guardiola tends to force his will upon teams, which is likely going to be the case, but he is more than likely to keep it a little conservative in this game, seeing as he has already crashed out of the Carabao Cup and could fail to defend his Premier League title.  Back this to happen at odds of 1.44 offered by William Hill.

Both teams to score

Both teams seem to know how to score at the moment and are the highest scoring sides in the Premier League at the moment. There is a strong chance that both teams will find the back of the net once again and William Hill are offering 1.70 odds for this to happen.

All odds are via William Hill and all info valid as at the time of writing.

Odds could differ now.