On Saturday, July 18, at 19:45, Arsenal and Manchester City play in the English Cup semifinals, in a match played on neutral ground. Obviously, Pep Guardiola’s team is the favorite against the “gunners”, after winning the last 7 consecutive games against the Londoners. This time we expect a slightly more balanced duel, in which the stakes are high: access to the last act of the competition.
Arsenal and Manchester City have a rich history, but very unbalanced in recent years. Pep Guardiola’s team won the duels with the “gunners” without much problems, and the difference in value between the two clubs was always obvious. However, the Cup match could be a bit more balanced, because the Londoners will defend themselves very carefully at home.
Man. City tends to be less “brave” in England Cup matches, where any goal and any phase can make a difference. As a result, the high scores recorded by the band on the Etihad lately are not necessarily relevant in this duel. Let’s not forget that City achieved “normal” successes, without high scores, in front of some teams, including the lower league.
We will see the owners of both teams on the field and it will be interesting to see if Arsenal will bet on the offensive duo formed by Lacazette and Aubameyang, which offered a lot of satisfaction this season. Arsenal come after a 1-2 in the league, with Tottenham, a result that stopped the good series in the matches with Sheffield United (2-1), Norwich (4-0), Wolves (2-0) and Leicester (1-1) . Instead, City comes after 5-0 successes against Newcastle and Brighton, both in the league. Statistics show that City have won the last 7 consecutive matches with Arsenal.
Arsenal: Martinez; Mustafi, David Luiz, Kolasinac; Bellerin, Dani Ceballos, Xhaka, Tierney; Saka, Aubameyang; Lacazette
Coach: Mikel Arteta
Manchester City: Ederson; Joao Cancelo, Stones, Otamendi, Zinchenko; De Bruyne, David Silva, Fernandinho; Foden, Bernardo Silva, Sterling
Coach: Pep Guardiola
City have won the last 7 matches with Arsenal and in 5 of them they have not conceded a goal;
Manchester City have won the last 4 away matches with Arsenal;
Both teams have one defeat in the last 5 official matches;
At least three goals have been scored in 6 of the last 8 matches played by City;
In 12 of the last 14 direct duels, at least three goals have been scored;
At least two goals have been scored in the last 22 consecutive direct matches;
PREDICTION: Over 2,5 goals @ 1,43
