The final whistle had sounded, but Erling Haaland and Gabriel Magalhães were far from finished. After a grueling 90-minute battle in March's 0-0 draw at the Etihad between Manchester City and Arsenal, the Brazilian defender showed no signs of backing down. As their teammates exchanged handshakes, Gabriel confronted Haaland, whose late penalty appeal had been dismissed by referee Anthony Taylor. Pep Guardiola quickly intervened to calm the situation, pushing the Norwegian striker away before the two players eventually reconciled. 'Good game,' Haaland remarked.
Nearly six months later, the stage is set for another confrontation. A Premier League video posted on Thursday, titled 'All the duels: Haaland v Saliba and Gabriel,' and asking who will come out on top on Sunday, has heightened anticipation as the league's most lethal striker prepares to face the toughest defense in the land. Haaland has managed just one goal against an Arsenal team featuring Gabriel and William Saliba, during City's 3-1 victory at the Emirates in February 2023. He scored again in the 4-1 thrashing of Arsenal at the Etihad a few months later, leaving Rob Holding, who stepped in for the injured Saliba, with lingering nightmares.
However, Saliba was quick to highlight this week that Haaland has gone three matches without scoring against Mikel Arteta's side, including last season's Community Shield, where Arsenal emerged victorious on penalties. 'He is a great player, one of the best in the world. It is difficult to play against him, but last season we gave everything to stop him from scoring, and he didn't succeed. I'm good because Gabriel is good – he helps me a lot,' Saliba said.
The defender from Bondy, the same hometown as Kylian Mbappé in the Parisian suburbs, has stood out with his composure, recovery speed, and ball-handling skills since breaking into Arsenal's team at the start of the 2022-23 season. He will once again be tasked with anticipating City's fluid attacks, while Gabriel, whose representatives are reportedly in talks to extend his contract that ends in 2026, will engage Haaland in a physical battle that promises to be worth the admission price alone.
Saliba and Gabriel were again exceptional against Atalanta in the Champions League on Thursday, helping Arsenal secure their fourth clean sheet in five matches this season. Arteta is confident they will continue to improve. 'They are in a great moment and have been very consistent for the past two seasons together. There is an unbelievable chemistry there, and you can sense it. They gave us a lot tonight – I thought they were both exceptional,' Arteta said.
Gabriel's performance in Bergamo was marked by the number of headers he won as Atalanta pressed hard in the second half, with Italian striker Mateo Retegui looking defeated after being denied by David Raya's miraculous double save from his penalty. Gabriel knows he will face an even tougher challenge against Haaland, and Arteta hopes the plan to stop the striker, who has scored a record nine goals in the first four Premier League matches, will again prove effective.
'When you see the stats and the number of goals that he scores, then you can tell that he is one of the main sources. We need to stop him from scoring. We always look at the individuals and the strengths that they have and how we can nullify that,' the manager said.
Three tough away matches in eight days could not have come at a worse time, given the ankle injury to Martin Ødegaard that will sideline the Arsenal captain for the foreseeable future. Arteta's side secured a crucial victory over Spurs with only 36.3% possession thanks to Gabriel's winner from a corner, then were second best for most of the game against Atalanta despite having the ball almost as much as the Italian side. During last season's draw at the Etihad, Arsenal had 27% of possession, and their gameplan will again be based on sitting deep and trying to hit on the break.
Arteta will be mindful of the criticism from some quarters for parking the bus against their biggest rivals last time but is unlikely to change tactics given their effectiveness. 'They didn't manage to win the league and people can say: 'Oh, if they went on to win that game, those two points ...,' the former Arsenal midfielder Cesc Fàbregas told the BBC this week. 'But Mikel is too smart for this. He knows exactly what he's doing. He always has a gameplan.'
