Reason for Tip

Manchester City v Arsenal Tips, Predictions and 8.50 Bet Builder

19 April – 16:30 | Premier League | Etihad Stadium

Manchester City v Arsenal Preview

Manchester City and Arsenal collide in what could prove to be the defining fixture of the Premier League title race.

Pep Guardiola’s City are gathering momentum at precisely the right time. Fresh from lifting the EFL Cup and pushing for FA Cup glory, the Citizens have won three straight matches without conceding, scoring nine goals in the process. Their recent 3-0 victory at Chelsea underlined their ability to control high-pressure games.

April has traditionally been City’s strongest month, and the numbers back that up — they boast their highest Premier League win rate and points-per-game average during this period. With a game in hand and only six points separating them from Arsenal, the pressure is firmly back on the leaders.

Arsenal, meanwhile, appear to be wobbling at the worst possible moment. A shock 2-1 defeat to Bournemouth last weekend continued a run of just one win in their last five matches across all competitions. While they progressed in the Champions League after a goalless draw with Sporting Lisbon, performances have lacked fluency.

Defensive lapses have crept into Arsenal’s game in 2026, with a worrying spike in errors leading to shots. However, they have shown resilience in this fixture recently, going five league games unbeaten against City after previously suffering a long losing streak.

This encounter feels delicately poised: City must win to close the gap, while Arsenal would happily settle for a point to maintain breathing space at the summit.

Reason for Tip

Reason for Tip

Reason for Tip

Reason for Tip

Reason for Tip

The hosts Everton come in-to the match in good form, winning three of their previous five matches and have only lost once within those five games. Meanwhile the visitors Liverpool come in-to the match in bad form, losing four of their previous five games.

Reason for Tip

The hosts Nottingham Forest come in-to the match in good form, unbeaten in their previous five matches and have managed to win three of those five games. Meanwhile the visitors Burnley come in-to the match in bad form, winless in their previous five matches and have lost four of those five games.

Reason for Tip

The hosts Manchester City come in-to the match in good recent form, managing to win all three of their previous three games. Meanwhile the visitors Arsenal come in-to the match in bad recent form, only winning once within their previous five matches and have lost three of those fives games.

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The hosts Peterborough come in-to the match in bad form, only managing to win once within their previous ten matches. Meanwhile the visitors Burton come in-to the match in decent form, only losing once within their previous five outings.

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The hosts Aston Villa have managed to score in all five of their previous five matches, with three of those games resulting in both teams scoring. The previous head-to-head matches involving the two sides resulted in both teams scoring, we are expecting the same here today!

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The hosts Monaco have managed to score in all five of their previous five matches, with four of those games resulting in both teams scoring. Within the previous five head-to-head matches, four of those games have resulted in both teams scoring.

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The visitors Paris FC have been involved in four matches resulting in both teams scoring within their previous five matches. Within the previous five head-to-head matches, all five games have resulted in both teams scoring.

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The hosts Strasbourg have managed to score in four of their previous five matches, with three of those games resulting in both teams scoring. Meanwhile the visitors Rennes have been involved in three matches resulting in both team scoring within their previous four matches.

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The hosts Nantes come in-to the match in bad form, only winning once within their previous ten matches and have lost seven of those ten games. Within the previous four head-to-head matches the visitors Brest are unbeaten, winning three and drawing once.

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Liverpool FC are still marginal favourites, but this is far from a comfortable pick now. The Reds sit 5th with 52 points, just 5 points ahead of Everton FC in 8th , and recent form is a major concern. Liverpool have lost 4 of their last 5 matches in all competitions, averaging just 0.6 goals scored and 2.0 conceded in that run .

In contrast, Everton are in strong form, going 3 wins, 1 draw, 1 loss in their last 5, and averaging 2.0 goals scored per game . They’ve also won their last two home matches with clean sheets.

However, Liverpool still edge this due to higher attacking ceiling and historical dominance (22 wins in last 40 H2Hs) . This is now a tight, high-risk lean rather than a strong favourite play.

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Reason for Tip

Reason for Tip

Virgil van Dijk is a strong aerial threat from set pieces, and this selection is closely tied to Liverpool’s expected corner volume. He averages around 1 shot per game, typically from corners and free kicks, and with Liverpool likely to deliver multiple balls into the box, his chances of testing the goalkeeper increase. With Liverpool also leaning more on set pieces due to attacking inconsistencies, Van Dijk remains a viable but slightly higher-variance pick for a shot on target.

Reason for Tip

Small field race here in the penultimate race at Stratford and the one to beat very much looks to be Pure Carbon from the Derham yard. Two wins over fences this season and wasn’t far away when third at Ascot last month. This is very much a weaker race today and Pure Carbon remains on a workable mark and should go very well again here in suited conditions. The rest of the field have marks to defy or breaks to overcome and Pure Carbon is primed and ready to go on a proven mark. Yard and jockey both have strong records at Stratford and have won over a quarter of races when combining here. Pure Carbon looks a very likely victor today.

Reason for Tip

One of the more unexposed types in the race with only three starts to her name and whilst the first two runs were ones to forget, showed more of what is to be expected lto when fourth. This six year old is bred to be much better than those first two starts and so the run last time was very encouraging and may be a springboard to much better today. Will be fine over this trip and should act on this ground. There is a short priced fav at the head of the market who is a little complicated and so looks vulnerable. 22/1 is a big price and based on what Miss Dancer has shown but she’s open to much more progress than most of this field, from a respected yard and has a good jockey aboard in Toby. Bred for better, will we see that today?

Reason for Tip

Largely consistent six year old with form of 41432 and looks to still be well treated and on a very workable mark. This trip is bang in the middle of this horses range and so no concerns on that front and will act on this ground. This race is pretty open and there is question marks over a few at the head of the market here whereas we are sure to get another good run from this six year old and this looks a very winnable race. Charlie Maggs retains the ride and that’s no negative, has a good record here for an apprentice and he is riding brilliantly at the moment with a strikerate north of 20% for the last two months. Good chance for East Eagle to notch another win today.

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Might be an eight year old, but Alnofoor is in the form of his life. Returned from a four year break last year and ran moderately on the AW at Dundalk but has found a new lease of life on turf the last twice with wins at Navan and Bellewstown and has looked better each time. Has to be respected today here at The Curragh as he’s still very low mileage and open to plenty of improvement, particularly with Colin Keane in the saddle today. Has a wide draw but plenty of early speed and the forecasted soft ground is ideal. Yard and jockey have a good record together and Alnofoor looks to have a very realistic chance of completing the hattrick today.

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Ten year old Sammy Smart looks set for a big run today dropped right back in class from the Listed event lto when fourth. Shed maiden at Punchestown in December and makes course debut at Tramore today. Seems to have a big preference for going right handed so should take to this course and Darragh knows the track well which will help Sammy Smart get round well. Remains on a competitive mark and there is lots in this race who don’t really look to have a chance. Conditions are ideal for this ten year old today and with a top jockey aboard in Darragh, could be hard to peg back here. Likely winner.

Reason for Tip

Out of sorts at the tail end of last year in Class 3 company and form wasn’t pretty reading. However, has turned a corner in cheekpieces and ran a very good race lto at Uttoxeter when a close third and looks set for a big run in a weak race today. Headgear retained, this is a very solid trip for this horse and does act on good ground. Might be a nine year old, but she’s a well handicapped one and represents a major yard with a fantastic jockey aboard in stable jockey Harry. Yard don’t have the sharpest record at this course, but they are very much in form currently and it won’t take Notnowlinda a great deal of encouragement to return to winning ways at Plumpton today. Great chance.

Reason for Tip

Arsenal FC have a genuine opportunity to secure a historic Premier League and FA Cup double this season, driven by their consistency, squad depth and tactical maturity. They have maintained one of the best defensive records in the league while also averaging over 2 goals per game, showing a balance that is typically required to win major honours. Arsenal’s ability to control games through midfield dominance, combined with their effectiveness in both open play and set pieces, has made them one of the most complete teams in England. Crucially, they have also shown resilience in big matches, regularly picking up points against top opposition, while their squad rotation has allowed them to compete on multiple fronts without a drop in performance levels. With momentum, confidence and a clear tactical identity, Arsenal are well positioned to sustain a title challenge while also progressing deep into the FA Cup, making the double a realistic and compelling outcome

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Tottenham Hotspur are now firmly in a relegation battle, sitting just above the bottom three, and their recent form suggests this is not a temporary dip but a sustained decline. They have struggled to pick up wins, with a points-per-game return consistent with teams that typically go down, while defensive issues have seen them concede regularly in key matches. Confidence within the squad appears fragile, and in high-pressure situations they have lacked the resilience needed to grind out results. With momentum a crucial factor at this stage of the season, Spurs are trending in the wrong direction, and if they fail to reverse this form quickly—particularly in must-win fixtures against fellow strugglers—they are at genuine risk of being dragged into the bottom three.