Arsenal vs Man City Carling Cup betting

Arsenal:

The League Cup has traditionally in recent times been an opportunity for Arsene Wenger to showcase some of his young talent, but this year it appears to be different. They have only won this competition twice and Arsenal are under pressure from the fans, they have not done to well in the Premiership thus so far and have not won any silver wear for quite some time, therefore it’s clear that Arsene will want to put out his best playing 11 to ensure that the club go all the way in the competition.

Arsenal’s previous match in the competition against Bolton was a tight one, there was a mixture of some young inexperienced players and some experienced players on the field, Bolton impressed and to be fair Arsenal were lucky to score the second and final goal as Bolton had some easy chances.  Other than the match against Bolton they have not struggled at all in the competition, which has helped by having a few easy matches.

On the weekend against Fulham, it is still clear that Arsenal carries on having problems in defence as well as up front. Only a few of the players actually look like they are on some form, with each of the back four looking seriously all over the place. But it only about time that they click again, Arsenal play attractive football even when they are off form and this will not change.

Given the current form Arsenal have been in, they really do need to go for it in the League Cup, there are a few good teams left in the competition and it is 100% predictable that Arsenal wont rest his top players from now on in the competition, as it could be costly in the long run for both him and the club.

Manchester City:

It is clear that Man City have a huge squad, their 3^rd team is near enough equal to many Premiership Teams. The club have scored 7 in their last 2 games in the competition, it has just been pure fun for them, a lot of experiments in the game, a lot of formations and a lot of great football played.  Man City have just looked to destroy all teams this season in the Premiership, they averaged near 3 goals per match home and away.

Last week the Champions League result was a bit of a surprise and it becomes apparent to other teams that Man City at times do lack a bit of concentration against teams that like to keep possession. On Sunday against Liverpool they were outplayed, they created very few chances and were on the back foot a lot, especially during the second half. It is hard to imagine that Man City will now lack a bit of form, with the amount of strength they have, whatever team they put out will be a strong one.

The competition will be an important one for Man City, they went hard at it last year, but now with the amount of quality they have in their squad it should not be a surprise to think that the club will look to go after every title.

Arsenal v Man City:

Given that on Saturday Man City have a home fixture against Norwich; it wouldn’t be a surprise if Man City put out their best side. Furthermore, due to Arsenal’s lack of success in the trophy cabinet during the last few years and their lack of form in the Premiership recently, they should also play their strongest team, which gives the impression that this match will be a very good one.

Arsenal continually pass the ball around well, they look pretty suspect on the break and Man City have a few players who have a bit of pace and could surely put pressure on the already weak Arsenal defence. But I am sure that Arsene would have watched Man City’s last two games and he will surely have a few tactics in play, his team likes to keep hold of possession and pass it around a lot, which could frustrate Man City. Man City will however miss Gareth Barry to provide some discipline in midfield as he is suspended for this match.

Out of the two sides, Arsenal are the team under pressure, realistically this looks like the only trophy Arsenal can win this season with the current strength in their squad.

Joe Hart has been in spectacular form in the net for Man City, Dzeko and Aguero have 24 goals between them in 20 matches this season and they are defiantly the danger men.

For Arsenal, Van Persie has been the stand out guy this season for the club with 17 goals in 13 matches, it has even been reported that Man City will try and entice him in January.  Theo Walcott is also a guy to watch, not for goals but for the crosses and pace that he regularly provides.

Prediction: Arsenal 2-1 Man City (11/1 at Betfred and Totesport). I think Arsenal will just edge it due to the type of football they play, I think that both Arsene and the fans are more eager to succeed in this competition, but either way I am sure we will see many goals.

Match prediction: To Score first – Dzeko 6/1 at Betfred

Odds:

Man City to win – 11/8 (at Skybet )

Arsenal to win – 15/8 (Bet365)

Other odds to score first –

• Van Persie – 6/1 William Hill.
• Aguero – 6/1 Boylesport.
• Chu-Young Park – 8/1 William Hill.
• David Silva – 8/1 Betfred.
• Yaya Toure – 11/1 – William Hill and Stan James.

Article by Mani Basi.

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