Arsenal v Manchester City: Pep’s Men The Bet to Win First Trophy of 2017/18

Sunday will see the first major domestic trophy of the season being fought over at Wembley Stadium as Premier League giants Arsenal and Manchester City do battle for the EFL Cup. It’s been a long road to the final and for the Gunners in particular it’s been a real battle at times but in the lead up to kick off, the bookies can only see one winner.

Match Odds

Manchester City are odds on across the board and available at a best price of 8/13 with William Hill and SkyBet. The draw comes in at a top price of 7/2 with SportingBet and 188Bet while victory for Arsenal is available at a best of 9/2 with SportingBet and William Hill.

Those are the figures for the result in 90 minutes or, as an alternative, you could switch to the To Lift the Trophy market. Here, City are even shorter at a best of 4/11 with bet365 and William Hill while Arsenal come down to a top price of 5/2 with SkyBet.

The fact that Manchester City are so dominant in domestic football right now makes them the obvious pick but there a number of reasons why we shouldn’t write Arsenal off. Firstly, the Gunners have an impressive record in knockout competitions and have won the FA Cup on no fewer than three occasions in the last four years.

They are also happy to upset the odds as well and were very much the outside bet when they beat Chelsea in their most recent final back in May 2017. Having edged past Chelsea again to get to Sunday’s game at Wembley, the Gunners have the capacity to go one step further and, while we deliberate on the final result, we certainly expect it to be close.

Individual Goal Scorers

With Manchester City such clear favourites to win the game, it’s not exactly a surprise to see their players dominating the first goalscorer betting. Sergio Aguero is almost averaging a goal a game in the Premier League so the Argentinian naturally leads the way at odds of 10/3 with bet365 and BetBright. Teammate Gabriel Jesus follows at 4/1 with bet365 while attacking midfielder Raheem Sterling has been in prolific form in front of goal and can be claimed at 5/1 with William Hill and 188Bet.

Finally we get to an Arsenal player with new signing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang available at 11/2 with Ladbrokes and Sun Bets. The former Dortmund striker scored on his Gunners debut against Everton so will be a popular punt, certainly amongst his own supporters.

Moving further back down the pitch, options from midfield include City’s Kevin De Bruyne at a best of 9/1 with bet365 while Arsenal’s Mesut Ozil looks very tempting at his top price of 14/1 with bet365 once again.

There is an interesting price boost from GentingBet that has Aguero at 5/1 to score in 90 minutes which could be the best option here, considering that the Argentinian is odds on in the standard betting, but we’re going for Raheem Sterling in this market at 13/8 with Ladbrokes to score in regular time.

Other Side Bets

Arsenal’s poor effort in midweek against Swedish minnows Ostersunds has drawn predictable criticism from their fans but it should be put into context. The Gunners were cruising after taking a 3-0 lead from the first leg and we should see a different starting XI take to the pitch at Wembley on Sunday.

While they’ve not been comfortable against big sides in the league this season, Arsenal can certainly compete in the cup matches and they’ve proved that once again in the EFL Cup at least. We’re therefore predicting a close game and our final tips are linked to that expectation.

We’re looking at Manchester City ultimately but a draw in 90 minutes looks strong so we could add in a 1-1 Correct Score bet which is quoted at a top price of 17/2 with William Hill. Alternatively you could play a little safer on the same basis and take under 2.5 Goals at 7/4 with Sun Bets.

Both Teams to Score is at best odds of 5/9 with Sun Bets again but if you disagree with our thoughts, Manchester City by one goal in the winning margin betting may appeal at a top price of 3/1 with SkyBet.

Just to confirm, all of these tips are for 90 minutes, excluding extra time and penalties and we’re looking for a decent overall profit in a potentially tight game.

Best Bets:

• The Draw in 90 Minutes at 7/2 with SportingBet
• Raheem Sterling to Score Anytime at 13/8 with Ladbrokes
• Correct Score of 1-1 after 90 minutes at 17/2 with William Hill