Arsenal hosts Manchester City in the FA Cup semifinals on Saturday, July 18, 2020, at Wembley Stadium. Game times are at 2:45 PM EST and it will be shown live via ESPN+.
Arsenal didn’t qualify for the Champions League next season.but they could play in the Europa League next year. Going to the Europa League could be achieved by either finishing at least 7th in the EPL table or winning the FA Cup. The Gunners are two points behind 7th place Tottenham in the current EPL table but two more wins in the FA Cup will also send them to Europe.
On the other hand, Manchester City lost its Premier League title to Liverpool but the Citizens can salvage their pride with another trophy- the FA Cup. The Citizens are the reigning FA Cup holders and are bidding to repeat for the second straight year. Man City is coming off a great week. Their European ban was overturned earlier this week and then the beat Bournemouth in mid-week. Manchester City has already secured the EFL Cup and two more wins will win them the FA Cup as well so this isn’t a bad season at all for them.
Arsenal is the most successful side in the history of the FA Cup with a total of 13 Cups won while finishing as runners-up on seven other occasions. They are tied with Manchester City for most appearances in the FA Cup with 20 but have one more win than the Red Devils in this tournament. The Gunners last won this tournament in 2017 and they beat Leeds, Bournemouth, Portsmouth, and Sheffield United to reach the FA Cup Semi-Finals.
In their last assignment, Arsenal hosted the newly minted EPL champions Liverpool and came away with a 2-1 victory. Sadio Mane enabled Liverpool to take the early lead with a score in the 20th minute but the Gunners fought back and scored via Alexander Lacazette in the 32nd minute and Reiss Nelson in the 44th. The Gunners would hold on to win the match and take all three points. The Gunners are 5-1-3 since the Premier League resumed action.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang leads the Gunners in scoring with a total of 20 goals on the year. Alexandre Lacazette has found the back of the net nine times while Nicolas Pepe has five goals for Arsenal. Pepe leads the team with six assists while Bukayo Saka has five assists and one goal scored this season.
Arsenal is the 7th best scoring team in England with a total of 51 goals scored on the year. They are also 7th in defense with a total of 44 goals conceded. The Gunners are ranked 9th in passing with a total of 32 assists on the year. They are 8th overall in goal difference with their +7 total.
Manchester City has lifted the FA Cup a total of six times and have finished as runners-up on five other instances. Their 11 FA Cup Finals appearances rank seventh all-time and last year, they blanked Watford 6-0 to win the 2019 FA Cup. Manchester City beat Port Vale, Fulham, Sheffield Wednesday, and Newcastle to enter the semifinals.
City entered the week on a high note after their European ban was overturned. In their midweek assignment, the walked off with a 2-1 home win over relegation candidate Bournemouth. A free-kick by David Silva gave City the early 1-0 lead in the sixth minute. Gabriel Jesus added one more goal in the 29th to give Manchester City a comfortable 2-0 advantage. David Brooks netted in the 88th minute to pull Bournemouth within one goal but they didn’t get another chance to equalize.
Raheem Sterling leads Manchester City with 17 goals scored this season. Sergio Aguero has added 16 goals while Gabriel Jesus has netted 12 times for City. Kevin De Bruyne leads the team with a total of 18 assists while also scoring 11 goals. Riyadh Mahrez has 9 assists and 10 goals while David Silva has 9 assists and five goals scored.
Manchester City is the top-scoring team in the Premier League with a total of 91 goals scored this season. They are 3rd in goals conceded with a total of 34 goals allowed this term. City is the top passing team in England with a total of 64 this year. Their goal difference of +57 goals is the best in the English top flight.
These two clubs have met in a total of 199 meetings and Arsenal holds the big edge over Manchester City with their 97-45-57 record. Manchester won their two Premier League assignments against Arsenal and did so by identical 3-0 scores.
The Gunners don’t have a good record against City. The Citizens have won their last seven head to head meetings. However, it’s worth noting that the last time that Arsenal beat Manchester city was in 2017 at the FA Cup semifinals at Wembley. Could history repeat itself on July 18th?
Manchester City exposed Arsenal’s weak backline in their two Premier League matches this season, scoring three goals in each of those two matches. Manchester City has scored more than two goals in six out of their last seven head to head meetings. Mike Arteta’s boys only have three clean sheets in eight matches since the restart of the Premier League season and it’s going to be hard stopping the Manchester City offense from scoring here. On Offense, Arsenal has scored 40 fewer goals than Manchester City and they have failed to score in five out of their last six meetings against City.
Manchester City has been dethroned as Premier League champions. However, they have the opportunity to win the FA Cup and somewhat salvage their season. Earlier this week, City saw their ban overturned and that was a big moral win for the team. Manchester City should head to this game with plenty of confidence. They want that FA Cup as much as Arsenal does. The better team wins this showdown.
Prediction: Manchester City
Manchester City has beaten Arsenal in their last seven matches across all competition. The Citizens have scored at least three goals in six out of their last seven meetings against Arsenal. The Gunners have scored just one goal in their last six matches against Manchester City and have been held scoreless in five of those matches. I like City to win this match and hold Arsenal scoreless.
Prediction: Manchester City to keep a clean sheet – Yes (+110). Odds from Bet365.
The Miami Heat look to take a 2-0 series lead against the Milwaukee Bucks in…
The New York Mets head to Yankee Stadium to open a three-game series against the…
The Minnesota Twins play Game 2 of a three-game set against the New York Yankees…
The OKC Thunder and New Orleans Pelicans meet at the Smoothie King Center on Wednesday…
The No.8 Atlanta Hawks visit the No. 7 Miami Heat in the first play-in tournament…
The OKC Thunder visit the Utah Jazz at the Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt…