Erling Haaland vs. Viktor Gyokeres: Who will have the biggest impact on Arsenal vs. Man City?

Whisper it, but Manchester City are arguably now inferior to Arsenal, and Mikel Arteta’s Gunners have a higher chance of winning the Premier League title.

Despite the social media schadenfreude aimed at the North London side, any objective analysis should regard the three-time Premier League champions as the favourites, or at least second favourites, to lift the crown in May.

They are no longer prey and easy targets for clubs like Man City, who at one point did not lose a league fixture against Arsenal in eight years and had only been beaten once in 16 meetings — the FA Cup semi-final in July 2020.

The power balance has gradually shifted in this rivalry, with Gabriel Martinelli’s deflected goal in 2023’s 1-0 win for the Londoners marking their first victory over the Cityzens since December 2015.

Since that win, Arsenal have remained unbeaten against Guardiola’s team, securing two draws at the Etihad Stadium and unleashing a can of whoop-ass on Man City in last season’s corresponding fixture to notch a 5-1 success. 

The Gunners wresting influence from them has clearly upset those in Manchester, as seen by Erling Haaland’s ‘stay humble’ moment after last season’s 2-2 draw at the Etihad and Myles Lewis-Skelly’s response by mimicking the Norwegian’s celebration after scoring in Arsenal’s 5-1 win.

Haaland is likely to be a key figure again, whether by scoring, engaging in another physical battle with Arsenal centre-back Gabriel Magalhaes or throwing on-field taunts at the London club.

However, for the first time in years, the Gunners have a top-class centre-forward who can match the Norwegian superstar. Viktor Gyokeres has already scored three goals in his debut season at the Emirates, two fewer than Haaland heading into Sunday’s showdown in the capital.

Here, Sports Mole takes a look at how Gyokeres and Haaland have performed this season and how both players might impact Sunday’s Premier League contest between Arsenal and Man City at the Emirates.

The case for Gyokeres against Man City

Gyokeres is still finding his footing in English football, but he has history with City in the Champions League, where he netted a hat-trick against Guardiola's men while playing for Sporting.

The Lisbon giants handed Guardiola's team a 4-1 defeat in what was Ruben Amorim's final Champions League match in charge before taking the reins at Manchester United.

Although an adaptation process is ongoing for the Swedish star, his strength and running ability behind defences could pose a threat to the Cityzens, who already showed vulnerability in that area in their 2-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur in August.

Arsenal's tendency to play more direct football at times this season has been noticeable, with their 11 through balls so far ranking fourth in the Premier League, four behind United's 15.

Looking deeper, the Cityzens have also allowed an average of 24.0 touches in their penalty area this season — 96 in total, placing them 11th according to Opta — which is a notable shift from the standards previously set by the Manchester giants.

Moreover, Man City have committed four errors leading to an opponent's shot — with Everton leading the league at six — highlighting the fragility at the back that Gyokeres could exploit on Sunday.

All three of the forward’s Premier League goals have come at the Emirates, and he will be eager to score for the third consecutive game in North London.

The case for Haaland against Arsenal

Dethroned by Mohamed Salah last season, two-time Golden Boot winner Haaland is undeniably on a mission to reclaim the award this season. 

With five goals already scored this term, Haaland has outscored everyone in the division heading into matchweek five, with his only goalless match being the home defeat by Spurs last month. The forward's rich vein of form has seen him score in five consecutive games for club and country. 

One of those matches saw Haaland net five goals against Moldova during the international break, contributing to Norway's historic 11-1 victory in World Cup qualifying. 

The 25-year-old has carried this form into club football, scoring twice in last weekend's Manchester derby victory over the Red Devils, before netting one of Man City's two goals in their 2-0 Champions League win over Napoli. 

When Haaland is in this form, he can be almost unstoppable. With Guardiola's team willing to supply him with balls in behind defences — City have played 14 through balls this season — he becomes a serious threat if Arteta's team maintain a high defensive line. 

However, that seems unlikely given the defensive prowess of this Arteta side, especially without the ball, and it will be interesting to see how the two-time Golden Boot winner performs at the Emirates this season. 

Haaland scored in both matches against Arsenal last season, bringing his total to four Premier League goals in six league encounters with the North London side, even if he was largely ineffective in that 5-1 loss in February. 

Nonetheless, the forward does not need to play well or be involved in proceedings to be decisive in any game, and that alone magnifies his menacing threat.