Emmanuel Petit claims 'average' Arsenal duo could cost Gunners against Man City

Arsenal legend Emmanuel Petit claimed that William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes could cost the Gunners against Manchester City.

Table toppers Arsenal welcome title challengers Man City at the Emirates for a mouth-watering top-of-the-table clash on Wednesday.

Arsenal are three points clear at the Premier League summit but have picked up a draw and a loss from their last two encounters.

Should Mikel Arteta’s side go three games without a victory the momentum in the title race would very much swing in Man City’s favour.

Man City have won each of their last six away matches at Arsenal across all competitions, yet this term their form on the road has left a little to be desired.

Pep Guardiola’s men have won just six of their 14 games on their travels in all tournaments and lost their last two top-flight away fixtures.

William Saliba and Gabriel could cost Arsenal

The defensive partnership of Saliba and Gabriel has been central to Arsenal’s success this season.

However the former in particular has suffered a dip in form in recent weeks, having been targeted at set pieces by opposition teams.

Petit, who won a Premier League and FA Cup at Arsenal, admitted he feared the Gunners would lose against Man City because of the average form of the club’s centre-backs.

Petit told Compare Bet: “Saliba and Gabriel don’t look the same defenders as they used to a few months ago.

“In the last couple of games, they look average. Especially Saliba, he is not playing like he was earlier this season.”

Erling Haaland, who has scored 25 goals for Man City this term, is a doubt for the Arsenal clash, having been taken off with a thigh issue in the side’s 3-1 win against Aston Villa on Sunday.

Guardiola was tight-lipped regarding the fitness of the forward in his press conference, claiming: “We train this afternoon. Right now I don’t know. Yesterday was about recovery from Aston Villa. That’s all.”