English Premier
2026-04-19 - Manchester City vs Arsenal
A Sports Betting Pick by Auls
Football: English Premier League
Sunday 19th April 2026 - Kick Off 4:30pm
This game is live on TV
Manchester City
The League Cup Final victory and the progress in the FA Cup into yet another Semi Final has given Manchester City some momentum, but prior to last weekend, most inside the club would have recognised that they would find it tough to close down Arsenal in the Premier League title race. There would have been a huge amount of pressure on Manchester City if Arsenal had won on Saturday, but losing has just reignited the belief around the Etihad Stadium ahead of this pivotal fixture.
Pep Guardiola has suggested that Manchester City will not be able to win the Premier League title if they are not able to win this game on Sunday and so the whole week would have been preparing for this important fixture. There are 6 points between Manchester City and leaders Arsenal, but Guardiola's team have a game in hand which means having control of their own destiny. The side have an 11-3-1 record at home in the top flight this season.
Manchester City have won 3 in a row in all competitions and kept clean sheets in each of those wins, while they have managed to rally back after consecutive Premier League draws against relegation threatened Nottingham Forest and West Ham United. The FA Cup Quarter Final thumping of Liverpool means Manchester City have bounced back from that draw with Forest and defeat to Real Madrid and they have won 8 of the last 10 here in all competitions.
Nico O'Reilly came off with a hamstring issue in the win at Stamford Bridge last Sunday and his participation will be decided closer to kick off. Both John Stones and Ruben Dias are doubts.
Arsenal
For the first time in the history of the club, Arsenal have reached the Semi Final of the European Cup/Champions League in consecutive seasons after the goalless draw with Sporting Lisbon on Wednesday. However, it was not the kind of performance that the fans would have hoped for and there has been a clear run of form in which Arsenal have struggled to find the consistency they would have wanted.
Even a draw at home against Bournemouth last weekend may have been acceptable, but the Arsenal defeat has just opened the door for a surging Manchester City to push through- just 6 points separate the teams, but the latter have a game in hand. The Gunners travel to the North West with the best away record in the Premier League at 9-5-2 and Arsenal have conceded just 13 goals in those fixtures.
Arsenal have won 1 of the last 5 games in all competitions since beating Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League Last 16 Second Leg and even that sole victory came courtesy of an injury time winner. The real worry for the fans is that Arsenal have suffered 3 defeats in that time and scored just 3 goals. The win in Lisbon does mean Arsenal have won 4 of the last 6 away games in all competitions, although they had drawn at Bayer Leverkusen and been upset at Championship Southampton in the FA Cup Quarter Final prior to getting the better of Sporting.
Noni Madueke came off with an injury on Wednesday and is a doubt. The likes of Jurrien Timber, Martin Odegaard, Riccardo Calafiori and Bukayo Saka have all been missing over the last week and have to be considered doubts at the very least.
Head to Head
An injury time goal saw Arsenal salvage a Premier League point against Manchester City at the Emirates Stadium when the teams met back in September.
The most recent fixture was played in the League Cup Final at Wembley Stadium last month and two Nico O'Reilly goals proved to be the difference between the teams.
Manchester City have not won any of the last 5 Premier League games against Arsenal and the last 2 at the Etihad Stadium have both ended in draws.
Prediction
This may not be an official 'decider' in the English Premier League title race, but you cannot ignore the fact that the team that finds the positive result will feel they have the momentum to carry them through the final five weeks of the season.
6 points separate teams and Manchester City have a game in hand.
Most will believe they control their own destiny, but Pep Guardiola has reminded his players that failing to win this game would hand back the initiative to Arsenal.
Unlike previous campaigns, it does feel like this Premier League title race will deliver the kinds of twists and turns that accompanied most prior to the Pep Guardiola-Jurgen Klopp battles. Those two managed teams that kept winning and winning, but Arsenal and Manchester City have both dropped big points over the last couple of months to truly believe the winner of this one can win every other game left to play.
In reality if Arsenal win, they have to have more than a hand on a first title in over two decades.
That gives them an incentive, but the squad has lacked real conviction over the last month and you can tell that the pressure is heavy on the players. Just 3 goals have been scored in the last 5 games in all competitions and Arsenal have been beaten by the last 3 English opponents they have faced.
Even the Second Leg against Sporting Lisbon was a nervy encounter and Mikel Arteta will be desperate for the likes of Bukayo Saka to be involved on Sunday.
The English international has missed recent outings and Arsenal have lacked spark, while opponents are much more aware of the set pieces threat that this team pose and have managed that much more effectively.
Arsenal limited Sporting Lisbon, but have not been as watertight defensively and that gives Manchester City all of the momentum having had a week to prepare for the game.
An injury to Nico O'Reilly will have hurt and Pep Guardiola will be hoping he is available after his two goals won the League Cup Final against this opponent.
Even then, Manchester City look to have momentum and they will feel they can create the better chances in this one. Players have stepped up to support Erling Haaland in the goalscoring department, which has been hugely important for Manchester City, and the feeling is that they can snap the 5 game winless run in the Premier League against this title rival.
There is pressure and tension in the build up to the fixture and it is about which of the squads cope best- this is where Manchester City's experience of getting over the line can still prove to be key and they may do enough to get the better of Arsenal for a second time in a month and suddenly become favourites to win the Premier League for a fifth time in six seasons.
Mikel Arteta has asked his team to play with 'fire', but Arsenal seem to be running on fumes at the moment and a fragile confidence could be shattered if they are to concede first on Sunday.
The Statistics :
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The Pick :
Manchester City 2-0 Arsenal
