Arsenal vs Manchester City: A fearsome head-to-head at the 2024/25 EPL stage

The Arsenal and Manchester City clash is always a thrilling fixture in the Premier League (EPL). They are always among the top-performing clubs and their rivalries spanned decades under various managers. Mark your calendars for their EPL second leg showdown on 3rd February 2025 and place your bets at Sportsbet.io.

Dive into this storied rivalry ahead of the upcoming match. Let’s indulge in an in-depth recap of their current standing in the EPL 2024/25 and a look at previous head-to-heads between these two EPL powerhouses.

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Club status: What you should know before the match

The 2024/25 EPL season started with Manchester City as the heavy favourite. Unfortunately for the 4-time English title-defending champions, their current run is less fruitful than Arsenal’s. Man City sits at the top 4 spot while Arsenal is in 2nd place, just behind league leader Liverpool.

Arsenal is also in a bind for the upcoming heart-to-head because one of their star players, Bukayo Saka, suffered a hamstring injury in the game against Crystal Palace in December 2024. His recovery is expected to take at least two months, meaning the Gunners won’t be playing with their best right wing in a crucial game.

Man City isn’t in a good place either since they are missing Rodri. The midfielder suffered an ACL injury during their 2-2 game with Arsenal on 22 September 2024. Rodri was out for the rest of the season, contributing to the club’s lower-scoring performance compared to their 2023/24 statistics.

Head-to-head stats: The rivalry results so far

For the past 4 seasons in the Premier League, Man City had the upper hand against Arsenal in both head-to-head and the overall EPL standings. Nevertheless, the latter remained a strong contender for the title even if they have yet to succeed since 2003. This trend makes it easy to forget that the Gunners have the better track record in head-to-head between the two.

However, it’s a bit different under the leadership of Mikel Arteta (since 2019) for Arsenal and Pep Guardiola (since 2016) for Man City. The two managers have met 12 times in the EPL and Arteta only managed to win one which was on the 8th of October 2023.

Here’s the official matchup results of Manchester City vs Arsenal in the English Premier League:

Arsenal and Manchester City have played against each other in the EPL exactly 55 times. The second-leg game on 3rd February is going to be their 56th.

Which team has the better odds?

As of writing, Arsenal is predicted to win the match-up by a small margin. They are currently just behind top rank Liverpool in the EPL standings, which means they are coming into this face-off with strong form.

In the 2024/25 EPL campaign, Man City already lost a total of 6 games while Arsenal only had 2 defeats so far before their faceoff. Arsenal has also won 13 games compared to Man City’s 12 victories, which is why they have the better odds on winning the game. But with this small of a margin, the faceoff could go in either squad’s way.

Man City vs Arsenal: An overview of the EPL giants’ most recent encounters

Arsenal is the latest winner of this EPL rivalry, but that victory was back in 2023. Their two most previous games have ended in draws, which makes this upcoming game a much-awaited rematch.

If you’ve missed the recent clashes between Arsenal and Manchester City or just need a recap, here is a summary of their last 3 meetings and the most notable moments:

EPL - September 22, 2024 (2 - 2)

The match happened at Etihad Stadium, Manchester City's home court, on the 22nd of September 2024. Erling Haaland scored a clean goal in the first 9 minutes with an assist from Savinho but they didn’t keep the lead for long. Sometime in the 21st minute, Rodri was injured while jostling for position with Thomas Partey, putting him out for the season.

Shortly after Rodri was substituted for Mateo Kovačić, Riccardo Calafiori scored for Arsenal in the 22nd minute with an assist from Gabriel Martinelli. Manchester City and Arsenal were 1-1 near the end of the first half until Gabriel Magalhães scored a 2nd goal with an assist from Bukayo Saka.

It gave the away team the lead for the second half but Manchester City overwhelmed them with ball control for the rest of the match, preventing other attempts at the goal. The game almost ended with a win for the away team but John Stones managed to sneak in a goal, ending the game in a 2-2 draw.

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EPL - March 31, 2024 (0 - 0)

This Manchester City vs Arsenal clash on 31st March 2024 at the Etihad Stadium was a largely uneventful encounter, with both sides playing too defensively. The game resulted in a goalless match despite both sides being at their best form, Nevertheless, the match ended up being a duel of exchanging ball positions with the home team having 72% of it in the game.

Guardiola made three substitutions throughout the game. The first was switching Nathan Aké for Rico Lewis in the first half, followed by Phil Foden for Jeremy Doku and Mateo Kovačić for Jack Grealish at 61 minutes.

Arteta kept his as-is until the 66th minute when he swapped out Jakub Kiwior and Jorge Filho for Takehiro Tomiyasu and Thomas Partey respectively. The only penalties called the whole game were two yellow cards for Gabriel Jesus in 67’ and David Raya in 79’.

EPL - October 8, 2023 (0 - 1)

On the 8th of October 2023, Arsenal hosted Manchester City at Emirates Stadium in a match that saw Arteta finally earn his first Premier League victory over Guardiola. The score was honoured by Gabriel Martinelli with an assist from Kai Havertz in the 86th minute. Exchanges leading up to that moment were intense, resulting in 7 substitutions from both sides.

Three yellow cards were given in the first half of this match. The first was for Jorge Filho and then Bernardo Silva. The Blues received another yellow card for Kovačić at 29’. Two more yellow cards were given to Gabriel Jesus and Ederson at 90+3’.

Key players to watch from each team

As both teams prepare for their February 3rd clash, Arsenal will be without two key players, Saka and William Saliba, due to uncertainty about their return to training. Meanwhile, Manchester City is certain to be missing Rodri. As of January 2025, the key players guaranteed to play for both teams and make an impact in this highly anticipated matchup are the following:

Arsenal

Martin Ødegaard: Team captain Martin Ødegaard is integral in the midfield and has a large presence in every part of the field. Arsenal counts on his skilful dribbling and accurate passing to enable his teammates to thrive. His leadership and creativity will be crucial in breaking down City’s defence.

Kai Harvetz: Havertz has participated in 23% of the club’s goals this season, 8 of which he scored and 2 were assists. This is an impressive feat having just joined the club in 2023 and appearing in 19 games in total, proving that his young talent makes him one of the Gunners’ compelling players.

Manchester City

Erling Haaland: Being a multiple-time winner of the golden boot award makes him one of the best centre-forward in the world. He further proved his worth having scored 17 goals in the 2024/25 EPL season. Manchester City knows this and plans to make the most of it, giving him a 100% starting eleven statistic.

Phil Foden: Despite only being a part of the starting eleven for Manchester City for 59% this season, Foden has made the most of his opportunities. He secured 6 goals and provided 2 assists in 17 appearances, showcasing his attacking prowess and quick decision-making, which will be vital in dismantling Arsenal’s defensive side.

Bet on Arsenal vs Man City head to head at Sportsbet.io

Betting markets for the upcoming Arsenal vs Manchester City match are now live at Sportsbet.io, offering various odds and spreads to explore ahead of the exciting showdown. Don’t forget to check out EPL-related promotions or spice up your bets with Sportsbet.io’s Multibet for more rewards to boost your bankroll.

Once the match kicks off, check out Pick 4 Win for an even more fun way to bet on live Arsenal vs Manchester City matches. With Sportsbet.io’s top-tier features, you’re set for a thrilling and immersive betting experience.

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