Sol Campbell Urges Arsenal To Take “Gamble” As He Makes Man City Score Prediction

Arsenal ‘Invincible’ Sol Campbell has urged his former team to roll the dice when they take on Man City this weekend.

Speaking to Paddy Power (via Metro), Campbell said that he expects the Gunners to come out on top but he wants to see them take more risks, especially as the game is at home:

“I’ve got a feeling it’s going to be a 2-1 Arsenal win. I think they’ve got the bit between the teeth. Hopefully they’ve learned from Liverpool and just find that balance between defence and that gamble in attack.”

“You need to trust the defence a little bit. You can’t have everyone back. You need the risk and reward. You need to find that balance. Maybe you can be a bit more conservative away from home, but finding that balance is key.”

Arsenal will be hoping for a repeat of last season

Arteta certainly didn’t leave the handbrake on in the corresponding fixture at the Emirates in February earlier this year.

Goals from Martin Odegaard, Thomas Partey, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Kai Havertz and Ethan Nwaneri sealed a memorable 5-1 win for the home side. A similar scoreline on Sunday would be a massive boost for the Gunners, although Campbell clearly feels the game will be much closer than that with his prediction.

Arsenal vs Man City team news

Martin Odegaard (shoulder) should be available after missing the win over Athletic Bilbao but there are doubts over Bukayo Saka (hamstring) and Ben White (knee). Kai Havertz (knee) and Gabriel Jesus (ACL) are unavailable.

City, meanwhile, have John Stones (muscular) and Kalvin Phillips (Achilles) back in contention. Mateo Kovacic (Achilles) is also nearing full fitness, but Marcus Bettinelli (knock), Omar Marmoush (knee), Rayan Ait-Nouri (ankle) and Rayan Cherki (thigh) have been ruled out.

Read more about the Arsenal First Team Squad for 2025/26 here