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Gabriel Agbonlahor backs Manchester City to thrash Arsenal next week

Milo Clay

Sun 23 April 2023 10:15, UK

TalkSPORT pundit Gabriel Agbonlahor has backed Manchester City to put ‘three of four’ goals past Arsenal in their crunch title clash next Wednesday.

Arsenal were held to a 3-3 draw against Southampton on Friday evening and had to find two late goals to pick up a point.

The Gunners have now dropped six points in their last three matches, which has led to Manchester City closing the gap to just five points at the top of the table.

Of course, Pep Guardiola’s men also have two games in hand over the Gunners heading into next week’s game.

Arsenal will certainly need to avoid defeat to keep their title hopes alive, but Gabriel Agbonlahor thinks Mikel Arteta’s men could be on the end of a heavy defeat.

Agbonlahor backs City to beat Arsenal

Speaking to , Agbonlahor claimed that City will be ‘too strong’ for Arsenal and pick up a comfortable win.

“I think Manchester City will put three or four past this Arsenal team on Wednesday, I really do,” the former Aston Villa man said.

“You’ll play [Riyad] Mahrez or Bernardo Silva on [Oleksandr] Zinchenko, [Erling] Haaland will be in the changing room saying ‘guys, I can’t wait to play against Holding and Gabriel.”

Jamie O’Hara then said that Arsenal have a chance with a ‘world-beater’ like Bukayo Saka in their side, but Agbonlahor disagreed.

“Man City have got world-beaters in every position, De Bruyne in the middle. Xhaka could be ill for Wednesday,” Agbonlahor responded.

“They’re missing another top midfielder in there, Declan Rice may be coming in the summer. Gabriel Jesus’ finishing. Yes, Saka and Martinelli will cause problems, of course they will.

“But I just think this Man City team is going to be looking at Arsenal thinking ‘you really thought you were going to win the league? You don’t know us, we wait until the second-half of the season, we turn it on’ and they’re going to be too strong for them.”

Recent form certainly suggests that City will have the upper hand heading into the game, but Arsenal have proven they can go head-to-head with the reigning champions.

Mikel Arteta will be fully aware that a win could put them back in the driving seat for the title, while a draw would also keep them in the hunt.

Arsenal will need to arrest their recent slump in form and there would be no better time to do it than at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday night.