Arsenal vs Man City Prediction & Betting Odds

The curtain-raiser for the English Premier League season, the FA Community Shield will see Arsenal take on Man City.

The game is played between last season’s winners of the Premier League and the FA Cup, with these two sides meeting at the Millennium Stadium (Cardiff) on Monday, August 17, with KO at 00:00 AEST.

Quick Picks

Our pick: Draw in 90 mins

Value bet: Under 2.5 Goals

Long shot: 1st Half Over 1.5 Goals

Betting Preview

Traditionally held at Wembley Stadium, this year’s match will be played at the Millennium Stadium due to other commitments.

Arsenal have a strong history in the FA Community Shield, having won 17 of their 24 appearances so far, while Man City have appeared 16 times, winning seven. The Gunners did play the last time the game was held at this venue, beating Manchester Utd 3-1 in 2004. 

In fact, only Manchester United have won this competition more times than Arsenal.

Some may still describe this game as an exhibition or pre-season friendly, despite there being silverware on offer. While both clubs are likely to take it seriously, you could potentially see some friendly-like tendencies appear in the match.

Starting XIs could be strong to begin with and then substitutions could be made late on, or the starting XI may be weaker than usual.

Remember too, given this game comes not too long off the back of the World Cup this winter, there could be a number of stars missing, or eased in, which could see the outlook of this game be different to a high-intensity EPL clash between these two rivals.

The addition of Enzo Maresca as City boss could have an impact, while how quickly any transferred players settle into both clubs could also be a deciding factor.

Betting Markets to Watch

The pre-match betting odds are extremely tight, with the market suggesting this could be a coin-flip. Arsenal edge the odds ever so slightly. This could be due to Mikel Arteta remaining in charge and his team not having had too many changes.

Bruno Guimarães has arrived from Newcastle, while Greek winger Christos Tzolis has looked lively for the Gunners in pre-season.

City have had changes with Elliott Anderson now at the club, although Bernardo Silva and John Stones followed Pep Guardiola out the door. Much could depend on whether midfield talisman Rodri is still at the club, or is not risked before a proposed move to Barcelona.

As a result, we think there may be better value in the ‘ Draw ’ in the moneyline.

The goal markets are just as tight in this one; the ‘Over 2.5 Goals’ market is at a shorter price, but given the type of game that it is and how it is just a few weeks removed from a major tournament, our opinion is the ‘ Under ’ offers better value. 

Although both attack and will likely do so early on, there’s also likely to be some caution in Wales.

The BTTS hitting has the best value , as both teams could be missing key defensive players while match rust may set in.

Our Prediction

Check the latest Arsenal vs Man City betting odds at Sportsbet.

Our prediction is that a draw is the most likely outcome , with the ‘ Under 2.5 Goals ’ market offering value.

The long shot is in the ‘1st Half Over 1.5 Goals’ outcome. Both teams may look to hit on the break first and try and get a goal inside the opening 45 minutes.