Three straight draws — the most recent coming at home to Southampton, the Premier League’s last-placed team — have left Arsenal in a tight situation going into their crunch game against Manchester City on Wednesday.

Arsenal, the long-time leader of the league this season, have hardly been perfect of late and have lost the initiative. In such a scenario, an away match against City is a test that the Gunners would have liked to avoid. But there’s no escape, it’s a potential title-decider.

Heading into the game at the Etihad Stadium, City are on a 16-game unbeaten run in all competitions, taking 25 points from a possible 27 in the league in that period.

That Arsenal still hold a five-point lead is a testament to their extraordinary, improbable start to the season.

On Wednesday, Arsenal will have to play out of their skins to thwart City, more so their prolific striker Erling Haaland.

Haaland leads the league’s goal-scoring charts with 32 goals, eight more than Tottenham Hotspur’s Harry Kane in second and 12 more than Brentford’s Ivan Toney, who is third on the list. The Norway international is only one short of breaking Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah’s record for the most goals scored in a 38-game Premier League season.

Arteta knows the enormity of the task at hand. “When you look at the numbers, there is no comparison with anybody else,” Arteta told reporters on Tuesday. “He (Haaland) is able to produce that as well because the set-up is done in the right way for him. Even with him, they have the capacity to play in a different way.”

How to stop Haaland then? “We are working on their threats as well as on their weaknesses, we know where they are. City start from the keeper, he is a threat with the ball. They can do various things, so many things that you have to adapt to, so you have to focus on certain principles,” Arteta said.

That City have peaked at the right time is not by chance, it is a skill, said their coach Pep Guardiola.

The Spaniard, who could be heading for the greatest season of his illustrious managerial career, believes his players have learned to pace themselves early in the season and have the ability to turn it on when the finish line is in sight.

“Now we know what we’re playing for,” Guardiola said on Tuesday. “To have the chance in our hands, they have it in their hands too... the destiny will be in their hands — but if we win it’s in ours.”

Guardiola, however, thinks the result on Wednesday will be “important but not decisive”.

“It’s a really, really important game because we can get points and our biggest opponent this season cannot... (but) there are still many tough games for both sides.”

Written with inputs from Reuters

Ten Hag aware of challenge

Manchester: Year-end exams don’t come much tougher than the one facing Erik ten Hag and Manchester United.

Against Manchester City in the FA Cup final, the Dutch manager will get the chance to show how far United have come in his first season in charge. The potential that City could also be in contention for a treble — the FA Cup, Premier League and Champions League — provides added spice to the contest.

United remain the only English team to have won those three major trophies in one season, in 1999. The chance to block City’s attempt will be an extra incentive.

“I understand, of course, the feelings from the Man United fans about it,” Ten Hag said Sunday. United beat Brighton 7-6 on penalties after the FA Cup semi-final ended 0-0 through extra time. This will be the first time the Manchester rivals have played each other in the FA Cup final.

AP/PTI