MARTIN KEOWN: Can Rob Holding handle Erling Haaland if Man City go long against Arsenal?

Wednesday night’s winner-takes-all showdown between first and second in the Premier League will be an all-out football fest of passing, creativity and technique.

It’s the type of match players dream of; the kind of night you could wait your entire career for.

To succeed you must play without fear, be free in your mind and embrace and love this challenge. First and foremost, do your job on the field and trust that your teammates will do theirs.

Pep Guardiola and Mikel Arteta are cut from the same cloth. Guardiola is the master tactician, while Arteta is no longer his apprentice, but instead a full title contender in his own right.

They share the same philosophy and tactically position their teams as if at a chessboard, with Guardiola outmaneuvering Arteta in their two previous encounters this season.

The big question is whether Rob Holding (left) can handle Erling Haaland (right) if City goes long

City’s 1-0 win in the FA Cup in January was fascinating as both sides reflected the same form.

To prevent City from building attacks from behind, Arsenal pressed against them. Kieran Tierneythe so-called left-back on the day, went hand-to-hand with his opposition inverted full-back, Rico Lewis.

To cover the Arsenal press, City went long to Erling Haland, who was involved in a fight with Rob Holding. Holding was booked for a foul on the City striker and was replaced at half-time by William Saliba, who is more mobile.

Now that Saliba is injured, will Arteta be willing to play the same way? That is a dilemma for the Arsenal manager. He is not as inclined to surprise us as Guardiola is in big games.

With fewer options at hand, it’s unlikely but not impossible that Arteta will release a brand new shiny system to help protect Holding against Haaland.

Ake loss will boost Saka

To understand how unpredictable Guardiola is as a tactician, one need only look at the last time these sides met in a 3-1 Premier League win for City in February. Bernardo Silva started the game as a left back but finished it as a right winger! That was a big question for Silva as he was tasked with dealing with Arsenal’s two most dangerous players, Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard, when switching between defense and midfield. When Guardiola made a substitution midway through the game and moved Nathan Ake to left-back, City improved.

Ake handcuffed Saka that day, as he did a month earlier in City’s FA Cup win. It’s a huge blow to City that Ake is injured, but good news for Saka.

Nathan Ake’s absence is a huge boost for Bukayo Saka on his way to the showdown

Beware of deadly duo

A non-negotiable for Arsenal is that they must stop the link between Kevin De Bruyne and Haaland. The Belgian has assisted on eight of the Norwegian’s goals this season, making it the most deadly partnership in the Premier League.

As soon as De Bruyne is on the ball, Haaland moves. Arsenal must limit De Bruyne’s influence, just as City want to prevent Odegaard from feeding Saka and Gabriel Martinelli.

Arteta’s history boys

Arsenal deserve a lot of credit for getting themselves into this position. If they win the Premier League, they will be the youngest ever team to win it, while Arteta has also made the fewest changes to his squad this season.

Arsenal’s squad is considerably smaller than City’s, yet they are vying for the title. Credit must go to Arteta and his staff, who have brought the winning culture back to Arsenal. It was missing for some time. But when I look at this team, I feel like I see the old culture.

Going to Manchester reminds me of 2002 when we went to Old Trafford to seal the Premier League title. If Arsenal can beat City in their own backyard on Wednesday night, this young team will give themselves a clear chance to make history.

Mikel Arteta’s has to watch out for City’s deadly duo Haaland-De Bruyne on Wednesday evening