The international break is right around the corner, but first, we have a thrilling matchday eight slate in the Premier League. The Sunday schedule sees a trio of exciting matches as Brighton hosts Liverpool and West Ham takes on Newcastle while all action leads to the marquee tie between Arsenal and Manchester City. Here are my top bets for matchday eight in the PL. And below we dive into Arsenal vs. Manchester City.
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Premier League Matchday 8 Preview & Best Bets: Arsenal vs. Manchester City
Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook
Arsenal (+205) vs. Manchester City (+145), DRAW (+230) | 2.5 (-115/-110)
The marquee matchup this weekend features a Sunday nightcap between Arsenal and Manchester City. The champs currently hold the top spot in the table at 6-0-1 while Arsenal is in third at 5-2-0. This one gets underway at 11:30 a.m. ET from Emirates Stadium in London.
Pep Guardiola and his men are certainly earning their air miles recently as this will mark their fourth straight road contest. Their European tour has featured stops in Newcastle, Wolverhampton, and Leipzig, Germany, and now they’ll finish off in London against Arsenal.
While we saw a ton of goals in the 3-1 midweek Champions League victory over RB Leipzig, it was a couple of late goals (84’, 90’ + 2’) that saw the game go over. It was mostly a vintage, possession-dominant effort from City. They controlled 68.2% of the possession battle while allowing just three shot attempts. The lone goal against came off of a transition breakdown where the speedy Leipzig capitalized.
Now, that’s something that City will have to be aware of this weekend as they take on Arsenal at the Emirates. However, the Gunners will likely be without their lead scorer in Bukayo Saka, who left their recent 2-1 loss to Lens in the 34’ (muscular injury). The forward has netted four goals in the PL this season.
Both of these teams have been worked to the bone by managing their busy schedules, and I think we see the fatigue come into play on Sunday. I anticipate another performance from Manchester City where they slow the game down and take the air out of the ball. Pep should instill the message that "your opponent cannot score if they don’t have the ball (unless it was the OG against Wolves last weekend)." Ultimately, despite the offensive prowess that both teams possess, I think goals will be at a premium. I’m locking in the under in this spot.
Bet: Under 2.5 (-110)
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