Dimitar Berbatov v Betfair Expert: Bet Builder Battle for Arsenal v Man City

• Berba backs Haaland to score

• But Gunners to hold their own

• Betfair Expert says Doku to make impact again

Dimitar Berbatov Says:

Leg 1: Back Haaland to score

Leg 2: Back Odegaard to assist

Leg 3: Back the Draw

This is like any other game. It's obviously important to win it and get one over your rival, especially before the international break.

Arsenal lost on Tuesday to Lens in the Champions League, and with Man City losing to Wolves last week, we can see how unpredictable football can be even for the best teams.

Both teams will be going into the game with mixed form but that won't mean anything to them because they know how good they can be. In the end, we'll just have to see who's smarter.

Both teams are very similar, we see how they both play, using the space, attacking constantly, and waiting for the opponent's mistakes. Obviously, Mikel Arteta is a student of Pep Guardiola's. I think it will be a draw in the end.

You'll always have the usual suspects in the big teams, the guys who step up each time like Erling Haaland and Gabriel Jesus who and Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard, of course. These players will do something to make the game exceptional.

Man City won't worry about being without Rodri because they have enough players to replace him. Both clubs have the depth to cope with injuries.

Haaland is the one we have to look at to score, he loves to bully his opponents with his speed and finishing. But goals are there for both sides, so I see plenty in this one. With the players on the pitch, if both sides don't score then c'mon - F**k.

My selections for the Bet Builder battle this week are:

1) Haaland to score - I like him, he's scoring lots of goals again this season, and as I mentioned, he's a bully.

2) Odegaard to assist - he's the main guy, I love the way he plays and how he spreads the ball

3) Draw - both sides are similar and are never out of the game, so I think the game will finish 2-2.

Berba's Bet Builder Battle

This week, Dimitar Berbatov takes on @BetfairSam as the pair go head-to-head with selections for Arsenal v Man City.#ARSMCI pic.twitter.com/0RdaZjD7NO

-- Betfair (@Betfair) October 6, 2023

Sam Rosbottom Says:

Leg 1: Back Doku to score or assist

Leg 2: Back White to commit a foul

Leg 3: Back Over 3.5 goals

While Rodri is undoubtedly going to be a miss in this one for Man City, Saka's potential spell on the side-lines could balance things out. That being said, Arsenal have a terrible record against City and Guardiola's side are something of a bogey team for Arteta. The Gunners have lost their last 12 Premier League matches against City.

During the last game between the two at the Emirates, City had injury issues and were forced to play Bernado Silva at left-back, which didn't seem to trouble Guardiola's team who went on to win 3-1. This City team can adapt in big matches, and they're used to that sort of pressure.

That said, and while the odds are a shade above odds against for City at 13/102.30, even with my blue-tinted glasses on I'm not going to include a match result in my Bet Builder.

With these big games I prefer to avoid picking a winner, and focusing more on the player and goal line markets that can land throughout the 90+ minutes. That might be the City pessimist in me who remembers how Arsenal used to race to early 3-0 leads against us in the noughties. How the tables have turned.

Both sides are up there already this season when it comes to scoring goals, so on paper this has everything needed to be the blockbuster fixture we hope it will be. Looking at their recent games against each other, over 3.5 goals has landed in three of the last four Premier League meetings between the two.

Jeremy Doku has made a positive start to life at City, and he's been keeping Jack Grealish on the bench. Doku had a massive impact on the Champions League game against Leipzig in mid-week when he came on to assist and score, helping the Blues navigate what was looking to be a tricky away game.

It's never easy to second guess Pep Guardiola, but the fact he started Doku on the bench in mid-week ahead of the big one on Sunday would suggest that he could play a key role for City at the Emirates. With that in mind, I'm backing him to be influential and score or assist.

With my next selection, I'm affectively doubling down on how much of an impact I think Doku can have on the match. I think he could cause lots of issues for Ben White down Arsenal's right side. So I'm also going to include the defender to commit a foul in the Bet Builder.

I'm hoping this game lives up to expectations. It's a great opportunity for Arsenal to break the chain of City dominance over them in the league over the years. For the Blues, well, it's just another match.

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