English Premier League Soccer Picks: Manchester City vs. Arsenal DraftKings DFS Showdown Picks, Betting Predictions and Analysis

Manchester City can make league leaders Liverpool wait a little longer to be crowned champions of England for the 19th time. Manchester City can reduce the deficit between the two sides to 22 points if they can beat Arsenal, who needs the three points to keep alive their chances of qualifying for Europe next season. This fixture generally produces goals, but will we see any at the Etihad?

DraftKings is offering multiple ways for soccer fans to cash in on the game, including a Showdown contest with a $200,000 prize tool that pays out $50K to the winner. Set your lineups here: $200K EPL is Back [$50K in Additional Prizes on Us!] (MCI vs ARS).

Soccer fans can also get in on the action by downloading the DK Sportsbook app or heading over to the DraftKings Sportsbook website.

In this article, I will highlight the players that I think are worth picking for the Showdown contest, as well as looking at some of the bets offered on DraftKings Sportsbook. For the full list of available bets, download the DK Sportsbook app or check out the DraftKings Sportsbook website.

All odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.

Manchester City (-315) and Arsenal (+750) need to win for different reasons

The Premier League returns to action following a 100-day break because of COVID-19 and two previous winners of the league meet in a game neither side can afford to lose. Four-time champions City know their hopes of winning a fifth domestic title are all but over, while Arsenal, who has lifted the Premier League trophy three times, are battling to keep alive their run of consecutive seasons of playing European football, which currently stands at 25. The Gunners are ninth, but victory in this game in hand could see them jump to sixth if they win comfortably. City, who can reduce Liverpool’s lead at the top of the table to 22 points with a win, got the better of Arsenal in the reverse fixture by virtue of their 3-0 win at the Emirates. All the damage was done in the first half as Arsenal never recovered from conceding the opening goal to Kevin De Bruyne in the second minute. With this being the first game back after a lengthy break, both sides might ease their way back into competitive action, which could make for a slow-paced encounter.

With that in mind, I’m going for this game to be tied at half-time (+185), which would follow a familiar pattern for Arsenal, who has been level at the interval in their last four league games. City has been level at the break in three of their last five. Under 3.5 total goals (-121) might also be a bet to consider in this game. None of City’s last five league games have produced three or more goals scored. Both teams to score has also failed to land in those five fixtures and at +132, it might be a bet worth considering. The last time these two sides played out a goalless draw was on January 5, 2011. Since then, 18 of the next 21 meetings have seen two or more goals scored. A 0-0 draw is available at +2200. City have won the last two encounters with the north London side 3-1 which is trading at +850.

Prediction: Manchester City and Arsenal to be level at halftime (+185)

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Manchester City players to consider for DraftKings DFS Showdown

Kevin De Bruyne ($12,400) leads the market and with a league-high 18 assists and eight goals, it’s easy to see why. And let’s not forget he had a great game against the Gunners earlier this season. The Belgium international, who averaged 22.5 points per game in his final three games before the break, scored twice and set Raheem Sterling ($9,800) up for City’s third goal. Sterling may have welcomed the break after suffering a dip in form from his usual high standards. He has yet to score a goal for City in 2020 with his last coming in City’s 3-2 defeat at Wolves when his brace of goals gave the visitors a 2-0 lead with 40 minutes to play. This break will feel like the start of a new season and that could see Sterling end his goal-drought. After all, he became the first player to score an opening day hat-trick in the Premier League since Didier Drogba did so for Chelsea at the start of the 2010-11 season. Sterling has only one assist all season long, which is a ridiculous stat, and he and his manager Pep Guardiola will expect more from the England international. If you think City can keep a clean sheet and disarm the Gunners, then one of their defenders might earn big points. City keeper Ederson ($6,800) came second to Liverpool’s Alisson in last season’s Golden Glove award with 20 shutouts and he will be looking to add to the nine he has registered this season. His record against Arsenal is also pretty good. In 360 minutes of action, Ederson has been beaten just once. The Brazilian also kept three clean sheets in his last five matches before the season’s interruption. Before the campaign was brought to a temporary halt, Aymeric Laporte ($4,000) was making his return from a serious knee injury. He only managed three games before COVID-19 struck, but crucially, all three of those matches ended in clean sheets for City. His presence in the heart of their defense cannot be underestimated.

Arsenal players to think about for DraftKings DFS Showdown

The break in play came at a bad time for Arsenal, who was on an eight-game unbeaten run in the Premier League. Their last loss came at the hands of Chelsea on December 29, and as a result, they have not tasted defeat in the league this year and will want to preserve that record. The first thing Mikael Arteta will want his side to do is to keep a clean sheet, which is what they did in three of their previous four matches. Bernd Leno ($4,200) has been hard to beat with a goal conceded every 180 minutes of play in those four games and he could be the busier of the two keepers at the Etihad Stadium. Leno made six saves in Arsenal’s 1-0 win at home to West Ham last time out and he will hope he does not have to make as many saves as that against City. The Brazilian will hope all the action in this contest takes place at the other end of the pitch where Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang ($9,200) and Alexandre Lacazette ($7,000) will hope to enjoy success. Aubameyang has yet to score against Man City in the five games he has lined up against them. However, three goals in his last three league games before the break may tempt you to back him this time. Lacazette marked his first appearance against City as a Gunner with a goal from the bench. Since then, he has only started one of the last six and has failed to add to that solitary strike. He too was enjoying a bit of success prior to the league being put on hold with two goals in his last two league games. Both have Nicolas Pepe ($7,800) to thank for some of their goals this season and they will hope Ivory Coast star can pick up where he left off in March when he had a goal and three assists in his last three league matches.

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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is CharliePMullan) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.

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