It’s the traditional season curtain raiser on Sunday with the Community Shield between Arsenal and Manchester City. These two teams fought a hotly contested Premier League title race last year and we should expect fireworks come kickoff.
Mikel Arteta and Pep Guardiola will both start their best teams as they look to kickstart the season with silverware. Don’t miss our Arsenal vs. Manchester City picks and predictions.
Manchester City vs Arsenal best odds
 Manchester City |
 Arsenal |
|
|---|---|---|
| -138 | Moneyline | +333 |
| +300 | Draw | +300 |
| Over 2.5 (-150) | Total | Under 2.5 (+120) |
Odds courtesy of bet365 on August 4, 2023.
Manchester City vs Arsenal picks and predictions
While the game is technically a friendly, we know that it’s usually far from non-competitive. Man City haven't won this game since a 2-0 win over Chelsea in 2018, which feels like an anomaly given that Pep Guardiola has historically played his best lineup.
With last year’s final being played at the King Power Stadium because of the final of the Women’s Euros, we are now back on that famous turf at Wembley this year. That’s good for Man City, who have a great record at Wembley and won the FA Cup there back in May.
Given that they won that FA Cup as well as the Premier League and Champions League, it may not surprise you that I’m backing them to win this game at odds of -138.
Both sides have played each other twice since February, with Arsenal losing by a combined score of 7-2. It’s become clear to see that Pep has the number of his former protegee Mikel Arteta. The two have met 10 times since Arteta left City to become the Arsenal manager, and The Gunners have just one win to account for during that stretch.
When you look at the players on the pitch, even our eyes tell us that Man City are a level above the North London club. The bulk of this City team have played together for a number of years now, and the starting lineup is almost certain to be consisting of players who have been on the roster for at least a calendar season.
City know their manager’s methods well and should be able to win this season's curtain raiser at Wembley.
My best bet: Man City to win (-138 at bet365)
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Manchester City vs Arsenal Same Game Parlay
Man City to win
Julian Alvarez to score
Under three cards
First up, we’ll be going with our best bet for this game, and we'll follow it by backing Julian Alvarez to score. We’ve seen Riyad Mahrez leave the club this season, and as of yet, there has been no replacement. That means we’re going to see plenty of chances for Alvarez to place alongside Haaland — a position he performed well in last year when called upon.
There’s also the chance of him playing as the sole frontman when Haaland is benched too. We saw how lethal Alvarez could be at the World Cup and I’m expecting him to have a huge breakout season.
The final leg in our SGP is for Under three cards to cash. Despite this being a hotly contested game between two rivals, we often see these games being officiated in a manner that tries to not book players. In the last five years, we’ve seen just seven combined cards during this rivalry, with one game consisting of three bookings.
Learn how to bet a same-game parlay with these helpful tips and strategies.
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Manchester City vs Arsenal side & Over/Under analysis
I’ll be taking Man City on the moneyline, and I think you’re getting a good price at -138 given the historical dominance that Guardiola has had over Arteta.
As for the total, given that five of the past six games have had two or fewer goals, I’d probably lean towards the Under at +120.
Manchester City vs Arsenal game info
| Location: | Wembley Stadium, London, England |
| Date: | Sunday, August 6, 2023 |
| Time: | 11:00 a.m. ET |
| TV: | TBD |
Manchester City vs Arsenal key injuries
Manchester City: Mohamed Elneny CM (Out), Reiss Nelson FWR (Out), Albert Sambi Lokonga CM (Out), Oleksandr Zinchenko FB (Questionable).
Arsenal: Kevin De Bruyne CAM (Out), Nathan Ake DEF (Questionable).
Manchester City vs Arsenal weather
A rainy start to Sunday should be subdued by the time this match kicks off, with temperatures expected to be in the mid-60s.
