Manchester City vs Arsenal: Erling Haaland 'cannot wait' for crucial Premier League title clash
Manchester City's striker Erling Haaland is gearing up for their clash against Arsenal on Wednesday in a game that could be instrumental in this year's Premier League title race.
FollowIn what is promises to be a significant match, defending champions Manchester City will take on Premier League leaders Arsenal on Wednesday night. The stakes could not be higher as the victor of tonight's game at the Etihad Stadium will be firm favourites to win the 2022-23 title from here.
The Gunners' momentum has been drained from Mikel Arteta's young team following three frustrating draws in a row, two of which saw Arsenal lead by two goals away from home before a late double against bottom-club Southampton was required Friday night.
Meanwhile, Manchester City has a six-game winning streak in the league and has indeed secured their advancement in both Cup and European football. Fans could not be blamed for thinking Arteta, the master's apprentice, would be the next to be put out of his title chances after Pep Guardiola mercilessly put out several impressive teams' title hopes in recent years.
Ahead of the crucial clash between Manchester City and Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium, star striker Erling Haaland sent a strong message to Mikel Arteta's men. Taking to Instagram, the Norwegian posted a photograph from his training session and wrote, " Cannot. Wait," sending fans into a tizzy.
"Hat-trick against Arsenal," noted one City fan, while another added, "City will cook Arsenal. If you believe, gather here." A third fan stated, "Help us destroy Arsenal," while a fourth noted, "Haaland 3-0 Arsenal."
Ederson, Ruben Dias, Rodri, John Stones, and Kevin De Bruyne were all given rest at Wembley and ought to be back.
Due to illness, Granit Xhaka is doubtful for this game after missing Arsenal's match with Southampton. The Gunners will be without Takehiro Tomiyasu and Mohamed Elneny and William Saliba.
If City wins and Arsenal continues to falter in the tough stretch, the title race may already be decided before the final day.
It would be interesting to see how the Gunners handle avoiding such a situation, and they will likely start the game well, which would make for a very entertaining match.
However, the defensive issues will be too serious to ignore. It is easy to picture Erling Haaland and Co. taking advantage of any openings left behind to deliver a knock that ends Arsenal's title hopes.
City are on a 13-game winning streak against the Gunners in the Premier League, running back to December 2015.
Man City wins: 64
Draws: 45
Arsenal wins: 98
Man City: 8/15
Draw: 18/5
Arsenal: 9/2
