After Arsenal’s dramatic 1-0 win over Manchester City on Sunday, we’ve priced up the Manchester City/Arsenal forecast at 9/4.

The 2022/23 campaign saw the Gunners in a title race for the first time since 2016 when Leicester won the league, eventually falling short following the injury to William Saliba and stumbling over the finishing line with a run of two wins in eight games as City went on a 12-match winning run to claim a third successive Premier League crown.

This season has seen something of a tactical shift from Mikel Arteta, who at times has looked to deploy two number 10s with Thomas Partey acting as an inverted right back. 

But injuries have forced a reshuffle for Arteta, with Ben White returning to a more traditional right-back role and Oleksandr Zinchenko acting as the inverted full-back on the opposite flank. Gabriel Jesus has also taken up wider positions with Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka spending time on the sidelines with Eddie Nketiah spearheading the attack.

There was speculation as to how Arsenal would line up this season with the additions of Declan Rice, Jurrien Timber and Kai Havertz, but so far, Arteta has made it work.

The Gunners are still unbeaten having played Manchester United, Tottenham and now Manchester City and must feel fully confident of pushing City close once again – if not going one better.

A reverse of last season’s top two is available at 6/1, though it will take a few more missteps for City to be displaced as title favourites.

Tottenham fans would have entered the season with a cautious optimism following the appointment of Ange Postecoglou, even if Harry Kane left the club soon after to dampen expectations, but the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium has seen more excitement in three games this season than it did in the entirety of last. 

Beating Manchester United with two second-half goals before scoring two in stoppage time to win 2-1 against Sheffield United, and of course there was the highly controversial clash with Liverpool that resulted in another stoppage-time winner.

It’s still early days and Spurs fans will be all too aware of their lack of squad depth which could punish them after the turn of the year, but if the first two months are anything to go by, Champions League football may be on the cards next season.

Tottenham to finish second behind Manchester City is priced up at 9/1.

Liverpool are another side in transition who’ll be pleased with their start to the campaign, having taken 17 points from a possible 24, and can consider themselves hard done by not to have more.

Jurgen Klopp could have few complaints about the red cards at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, but it’s hard to see the game playing out how it did had Liverpool’s opening goal not wrongly been ruled out for offside. 

Had Liverpool gone on to win – and not had two men sent off – they’d likely be top of the league heading in to the international break.

A return to the Champions League has to be the goal for Klopp this season, but there’s every chance they find themselves in the mix come the end of the season, and Liverpool to finish second behind City is available at 10/3.

Odds correct at time of publishing.

Liam Williams

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