William Saliba and Gabriel will look to stop Erling Haaland from continuing his scoring streak as the Gunners visit the Ethiad for this weekend super clash on Sunday. Both City and the Gunners were in action midweek in the Champions League opening games of the new season with both playing out a goaless draw with City playing out a 0-0 draw with Inter Milan at the Ethiad, a game which Haaland was kept quiet and Arsenal drawing away to Athlanta at Bergamo with David Raya once again the hero with a double save from a penalty and the follow up rebound. Attention will now shift to the clash on Sunday with Pep Guardiola hoping to have Kelvin De Bruyne back after the Belgium was replaced at half time against Inter with what looks to be an injury while Arsenal will be without influential captain Martin Odegaard as well as Oleksandr Zinchenko, Takerinho Tomiyasu and Spanish midfielder Mikel Merino.
Arsenal had the best defence last season with the impressive center back pairing of Saliba and Gabriel too strong for opposition strikers and when players manage to break through there is golden glove winner David Raya in goal who looks unbeatable. Haaland have failed to get the better of Saliba and has failed to impress in his three appearance against the French defender, failing to score twice in the league last term and also when the Gunners played City in the community shield. Will Haaland end that run or Saliba and company will keep the Norway striker quiet again?, Jorginho has admitted that the Gunners laugh at Erling Haaland scoring form this season “Erling scoring again…it is starting to make us laugh, we look because we watch all the games and we love the Premier League.” Come Sunday, Saliba and Gabriel will not be laughing but will hope to stop Haaland from scoring.
A win for Arsenal will see the Gunners go top of the league for the first time this season. Its still September but this could be the battle all season with Arsenal looking to get one better over City having taken the league title to the wire last season when they needed City to slip up against West Ham and had hoped beating Everton will be enough to win the title but an inspired Phil Poden led City to a 3-1 win to secure Pep’s fifth title in a row. Arteta will be looking to get one better this time around and has bolster the defence which was the best defence in the league last term with signing of Italy international Riccardo Calafiori and Jurien Timber. Having the Dutch man back look like a new signing for the Gunners with Timber missing the entirety of previous campaign having picked up an ACL injury in the first match of the season then against Nottingham Forest only to play the last few minutes of last match against Everton and impressed in last weekend win over Tottenham playing the full 90 minutes and Arteta will hope Timber is at his best against Salvinho.
