Arsenal v Manchester City: FA Cup semi-final betting preview, free tip & TV

Free football tips, best bets and analysis for Arsenal v Manchester City in the FA Cup semi-final on Saturday.

Where to watch

Live on BT Sport 1, 7.45pm Saturday

Best bet

Raheem Sterling to score first
1pt each-way 11-2 bet365

Team news

Arsenal
Eddie Nketiah is suspended and Matteo Guendouzi is out of favour. Mesut Ozil, Calum Chambers, Bernd Leno, Pablo Mari and Gabriel Martinelli are injured. Cedric Soares is cup-tied.

Manchester City
Sergio Aguero is recovering from knee surgery. Kevin De Bruyne, Raheem Sterling and Aymeric Laporte should return to the starting 11 after being rested against Bournemouth. Claudio Bravo is sidelined so Ederson will start.

Match preview

Arsenal have fond memories of their FA Cup semi-final against Manchester City in April 2017 when Alexis Sanchez scored an injury-time winner and the Gunners went on to beat Chelsea in the final.

However, just three of Arsenal's starting 11 from that game – Granit Xhaka, Rob Holding and the lesser-spotted Mesut Ozil – are still at the club and the current squad have had some traumatic clashes with the Citizens.

Since that semi-final defeat, City have won seven out of seven against Arsenal, rewarding punters who backed them to cover a one-goal handicap every time.

Both of this season's Premier League meetings have finished 3-0 to Pep Guardiola's men and the 2018 EFL Cup final at Wembley ended in the same result.

At the prices, though, some may see a case to be made for Arsenal, led by Pep's former assistant Mikel Arteta, at least taking the game to extra-time,

City are missing Sergio Aguero, who scored a league hat-trick against the Gunners last February and also notched first in the FA Cup semi and the EFL Cup final.

Arteta's gameplan at the Etihad in June was scuppered by some ludicrous individual errors from David Luiz, who was responsible for City's first goal before conceding a penalty and receiving a red card just after half-time.

A defeat to Brighton followed that rout at City but Arsenal have undoubtedly improved since then, switching to three at the back to claim league wins over Southampton, Norwich, Wolves and champions Liverpool as well as a 2-1 FA Cup quarter-final victory at Sheffield United.

But their capacity to shoot themselves in the foot must be a concern for punters pondering a bet on the underdogs.

Eddie Nketiah's red card and a late Jamie Vardy equaliser cost them two points at home to Leicester and more sloppy defending gave Tottenham a 2-1 derby win last weekend when Arsenal had once again taken the lead.

The attacking quality of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Alexandre Lacazette, Nicolas Pepe, Bukayo Saka and Real Madrid loanee Dani Ceballos gives Arsenal a puncher's chance but the likelihood is that their defence will crumble under relentless City pressure.

Even without Aguero, Pep's men have rattled in 25 goals in eight league games since the restart with the peerless Kevin De Bruyne in superb form and Raheem Sterling, Gabriel Jesus, Riyad Mahrez, Phil Foden and David and Bernardo Silva among the goals.

Even in their 1-0 defeat at Southampton they had 26 attempts on goal and Guardiola left De Bruyne, Sterling, Mahrez, Rodri and Aymeric Laporte on the bench for their midweek win over Bournemouth.

The Citizens, who won the domestic treble last season, retained the EFL Cup by beating Aston Villa in March, and Sterling could help them on their way to another trophy by breaking the deadlock in the semi.

Arsenal's rearguard remains vulnerable against pace and the England international has scored seven goals in eight appearances since the restart.

That tally includes the opening goal against the Gunners at the Etihad and Sterling also scored in the 15th and the 14th minutes of City's last two visits to Arsenal.

Key stat

Four of the last six meetings between these clubs have finished 3-0 to Manchester City.

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