Manchester City have their biggest Premier League game of the season so far ahead of them on Sunday.
With four wins out of four under their belt, City will be taking on Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium to keep their winning streak going and potentially open a five-point gap over the Gunners.
Both sides head into this game off the back of midweek Champions League games, both of which ended with 0-0 scorelines.
Looking ahead to this big game, one pundit has shared his thoughts on one particular City player he thinks could play a vital role for his side on this occasion.
Steve Nicol says Erling Haaland could be the difference in Man City vs Arsenal
Speaking in a recent video shared on the ESPN FC YouTube channel about Sunday’s match between City and Arsenal, Steve Nicol had this to say on the subject of the Gunners’ attacking players and the one City figure he thinks could be vital in the game.
He said: “Unfortunately, the talent they have going forward, they can’t score goals right now.
“[Kai] Havertz has got two in four, [Bukayo] Saka’s got one, [Leandro] Trossard’s got one, [Gabriel] Martinelli doesn’t have any so if you’re going to play a counterattacking game and your forwards are firing blanks pretty much, that’s a tough ask, particularly at City and City’s got Erling Haaland who I think is a difference.
“Again there are other players the peripheral strikers aren’t particularly on the ball either but Haaland is and he’s going to be the difference.”
Haaland could be a handful for Arsenal
Across their four league games, Mikel Arteta’s side have scored six goals, which is fewer than the nine that Haaland has scored for City this season.
However, the Gunners have only conceded one goal whereas City have let three in, which highlights how much of a tough test it could be for the Norwegian to find the back of the net this time around.
Despite that, Ian Wright claimed that Haaland’s current form could see him become the first player to ever score six goals in one league game.
Given the form he’s been in so far this season, it’s easy to see why Nicol has claimed that the 24-year-old could be the difference-maker in Sunday’s big game.
