Arteta praises ‘quality’ Gabriel as Brazilian defender prepares to do battle with Haaland again | OneFootball

When Arsenal host Manchester City on Sunday, much of the spotlight will inevitably fall on the battle between Erling Haaland and Gabriel Magalhães.

City striker Haaland has built a reputation as the most feared striker in Europe, breaking records at a relentless pace since his arrival in the Premier League. Yet, against Arsenal, the Norwegian has found life unusually difficult. The reason is clear: Gabriel, Arsenal’s combative Brazilian centre-back, has consistently risen to the challenge of nullifying City’s talisman.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is under no illusions about the scale of the task but believes recent results have instilled belief in his squad – especially last season’s 5-1 rout over Pep Guardiola’s side.

“Winning those matches creates that conviction that you can go and win the game and not against them, against any opposition,” he explained. “That’s the feeling that I have now with the team and the players individually, that we go to Sunday and we are there to win the game, that’s it.”

For Arsenal, the Emirates has become a fortress, and Arteta stressed the importance of turning home advantage into points. “Especially at home as well. That’s something we want to improve. We talk about our home record and how important it’s going to be to give the best possible chance for ourselves to be where we want to be at the end of the season. So every time we play at home we know what we have to do.”

The key to stopping Haaland may once again rest on Gabriel’s shoulders. Arteta praised his defender’s appetite for physical contests, saying: “He’s got many qualities. One of them is that he can get up to anybody in the world and he’s someone that really enjoys the defensive part, the contact, the physicality.

“When the game has to get to that part he enjoys it and that’s a big quality to have and it’s very needed with someone as eager as Gaby that is so physical. You need to have those qualities to be efficient.”

If Haaland is Europe’s most ruthless striker, Gabriel is fast earning a reputation as his kryptonite. Sunday’s game may well be decided by which of the two wins their personal duel.