FA Cup Big Match Focus: How to back a 10/1 bet builder in Man City v Arsenal

• Arsenal eliminated City in 2017 and 2020

• Premier League's top two doing battle

• Mahrez's impressive cup record

Arsenal and Manchester City are yet to meet in the league as they do battle in what looks like being a two-horse race for the title, but Friday's FA Cup face-off could impact the momentum of the two teams at the top.

Both go into the game off the back of impressive wins, even if one was more comfortable than the other. A quickfire Erling Haaland hat-trick helped City close the gap on Sunday, only for Arsenal to open it right back up as they created plenty against Manchester United but relied on a late Eddie Nketiah finish to seal a 3-2 victory.

There will be plenty of questions over the respective starting line-ups, with Arsenal ringing the changes as they saw off Oxford United in the third round and City giving opportunities to fringe players in a comfortable win against Chelsea. The likes of Fábio Vieira and Matt Turner could feature again for the Gunners, while City may give cup keeper Stefan Ortega more minutes between the sticks at the Etihad Stadium.

Recent history

While the match won't be an easy one, Arsenal have fond memories of cup games against these opponents. Both of Arsenal's last two FA Cup triumphs, in 2017 and 2020, came with victories over Pep Guardiola's team along the way.

In 2016-17, Arsenal - then still managed by Arséne Wenger - needed extra-time to see off City in the semis. Nacho Monreal equalised after Sergio Agüero had put the Manchester club in front, with Alexis Sánchez delivering the winner and also scoring in the final against Chelsea.

Three years later, Mikel Arteta was at the helm and chasing his first trophy as a manager.

Two goals from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang were enough to settle the semi-final, and the Gabonese striker also bagged a brace in the final as Arsenal pipped Chelsea once more.

City's scary precedent

Looking at those cup results, one might think Arsenal have established bogey team status against City. That's far from the truth, though, with City unbeaten in Guardiola's other 14 games against the Gunners, winning 13 and drawing just once - a 2-2 just weeks before that 2017 semi-final.

Another thing in City's favour is their home advantage. While they lost those two semis on neutral ground, they have won their last nine home games in the competition with a total of 40 goals scored - including four against Chelsea in the last round.

You have to go back more than a century for the last time a team won 10 home FA Cup games in a row while scoring three or more in each game, something City are in with a chance of achieving.

To emphasise how long ago that feat (from Blackburn Rovers) was, the tenth win came before Arsenal FC even existed.

Mahrez the danger man

Riyad Mahrez clearly loves the FA Cup, and this was true even before his brace against Chelsea. The Algerian international has been involved in seven goals in his last five cup games for City, scoring six and assisting one.

Despite that run, though, Mahrez and his team-mates failed to go all the way last term. He netted in the fourth round, fifth round and quarter-finals, but drew a blank in the semis as Guardiola's team fell 3-2 to eventual cup winners Liverpool.

This is a Bet 5 Get 5 game, meaning you can get a £5 free bet when you place a £5 Bet Builder on selected football matches. Including Mahrez in such a bet is something which could be tempting, given his cup record.

Manchester City v Arsenal prediction

Arsenal lost their last cup meeting with Premier League opponents at this stage of the competition, with a Gabriel own goal handing Southampton victory in January 2021.The Gunners were also felled by Nottingham Forest - then in the Championship - last season.

That recent history, combined with City's daunting cup form, points to a home win. Arsenal have been far more consistent in front of goal, scoring in all but one of their games this term, but the hosts may well have too much for them.

City haven't been the fastest of starters in 2023, with their earliest goal outside that third round win coming in the 40th minute on Sunday. With that in mind, we have our eye on a bet builder comprised of draw HT/city FT, with Mahrez scoring any time, at 11.20.