EPL Soccer Picks, Predictions, Best Bets: Arsenal and Man City meet in heavyweight battle
The most important week of the EPL hits the ground running with several spectacular matchups, including a trophy-deciding matchup between Arsenal and Manchester City.
Matchday 33 will be as exciting as ever, as Arsenal head to the Etihad Stadium to take on a game-in-hand City, who’ll be fired up to close Arsenal’s first-place gap to three points. Another Blues vs Reds rivalry kicks off this weekend as Chelsea and Manchester United scrap it out for any possible points with just six matches remaining. To seal things, Igor Thiago seeks to overtake Erling Halaand in the Golden Boot race with a goal against Fulham this Saturday.
Catch the beginning of the action for week 33 of the EPL this Saturday at 7:30 a.m. ET.
You can also check out Sports Interaction’s complete list of EPL game odds and EPL futures.
EPL Manchester City vs. Arsenal best bet: Manchester City moneyline -115
This will be the 205th matchup between the Gunners and Sky Blues, a fixture where Arsenal has been historically dominant with 97 wins, although it’s Manchester City who were one of the few teams not to falter to their opponents this season. Arsenal was shutout against City for the first time in four matches against them, after suffering a horrid 2-0 defeat in the EFL Cup Final, and haven’t beaten them since October 2023.
City has all cylinders firing this late in the season despite the team’s 5-1 aggregate exit to Real Madrid in the Champions League. Since returning, they’ve taken down Arsenal 2-0 in the EFL Cup Final, beat Liverpool 4-0 in the FA Cup quarterfinal, and Chelsea 3-0 most recently in the Premier League last Sunday. They are -115 favourites here, with eyes on Erling Haaland to score anytime at +110 to run away with the Golden Boot, followed by Antoine Semenyo at +180, the mid-season signing with 15 goals to his name.
Arsenal will have to endure another gritty test of willpower after suffering three straight losses to English Clubs, including City, Southampton in the FA Cup quarterfinals, and Bournemouth in their most recent return to the Premier League last Saturday. They’ve shifted much of their focus to the Champions League, winning the quarterfinal 1-0 on aggregate over Sporting CP, but they’ll need at least a draw against City to keep their title hopes alive. Viktor Gyokeres will need to be absolutely dialled in, as he leads his team in the league with 12 goals, set to score in this game at +180.
With Arsenal finding it difficult to win games comfortably, and City’s only focus now on the EPL as they take to their home stadium, expect City to take this one on the moneyline and give Arsenal fans the biggest scare of their lives.
EPL Chelsea vs. Manchester United best bet: Draw +260
Chelsea is still capable of a top-five finish, but their early-to-mid-season form has dropped significantly since their Champions League exit in March. Excluding their 7-0 FA Cup quarterfinal win to Port Vale, they haven’t defeated tough competition, losing to Newcastle, PSG, Everton, and City, getting shutout in all four of those games. They’re likely to at least put on a better performance at Stamford Bridge this weekend, as long as Joao Pedro (+150 to score anytime) and Cole Palmer (+170) are up to par for this one.
On the other side, United isn’t absolved of their dropping form either, drawing Bournemouth 2-2 on March 20, before losing their only game in April so far, 2-1 to Leeds United at home. With no other silverware to challenge for this season, they should be doing significantly better, but the team has struggled with scoring more than two goals in a game since February 1, and has conceded in every game since February 23. If Bryan Mbuemo doesn’t reach his 10th goal of the season (+255), it may come down to Benjamin Sesko (+195) getting his 10th to help the Red Devils prevail.
Both teams are finding it rough to stay consistent this deep in the season. United has done better this EPL season overall, although Chelsea was managing games in the Champions League and is still competing in the FA Cup. With this fixture ending in a tie for five of the last 10 meetings, another draw might be in store for this one.
EPL best player prop bet: Igor Thiago anytime goalscorer (-110) in Brentford vs. Fulham
The Brentford striker has nearly caught up to Erling Haaland over the last five games, with four goals to show for, to reach his 21st of the season after a brace in his last match against Everton.
Don’t be surprised if Thiago takes the helm for this one, as he’s now on par for the golden boot race, and with Fulham’s recent two-game losing streak, he’s sure to tuck one away in this matchup.