Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has told Mikel Arteta how Arsenal can stop Erling Haaland in their Premier League title showdown at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday night. The Gunners head into the crucial fixture just five points clear of the reigning champions - who have two games in hand on Arteta's side.
The Premier League leaders will need to keep Haaland quiet if they stand any chance of taking all three points against City and extending their lead at the top of the table. The Norwegian striker has scored a whopping 48 goals in 42 appearances across all competitions this term - already matching Mohamed Salah's Premier League record of 32 goals in a 38-game season in just 28 appearances.
After suffering a groin injury whilst away on international duty with Norway last month, Haaland has returned in stunning form - scoring twice in each of his last two Premier League fixtures. Guardiola has experience of stopping the 22-year-old sensation after City made their way to the Champions League final in 2021, with Haaland unable to score for Dortmund in both legs of their quarter-final tie.
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Now the City boss has explained how he was able to stop the Norway international two years ago by giving Arteta a crucial hint on how to set up for the meeting on Wednesday night. Speaking in his pre-Arsenal press conference, Guardiola said: "From what he has shown in his career, it is difficult but as a team [you have] to have him involved as little as possible.
"When we [City] played against him when he was at Borussia Dortmund, we tried to have 70- 80 per cent ball possession. When we have the ball, we have more chances but the game we are going to play tomorrow will be a lot of transitions and duels.
"They plan to play a game so aggressive, almost man-to-man, so the way you do the process is difficult," he added.
However, it's clear that Guardiola does not expect either team to be able to dominate possession in the way they would like to at the Etihad Stadium as the two top sides in the Premier League come head-to-head.
"It's [City vs Arsenal] really important," he continued. "Not decisive because there are still many tough games on both sides and there are more to play, but we cannot deny how important it is."
If City beat the Gunners on Wednesday night, they will close the gap to just two points and still have a game in hand, which could see them move a point clear of Arsenal at the top of the table if they win it. A loss for Arsenal would be devastating to their title challenge after dropping points in each of their last three fixtures against Liverpool, West Ham and Southampton.
City have a number of other attacking threats in their team, with Kevin De Bruyne, Jack Grealish, Riyad Mahrez, Phil Foden, Julian Alvarez and Bernardo Silva all available at Guardiola's disposal tomorrow night.
Arteta is without William Saliba and Granit Xhaka for the clash at the Etihad Stadium, giving the Manchester outfit a crucial advantage in terms of squad strength.
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