Arteta confident Gabriel and Saliba are prepared for Manchester City's offensive prowess

Arteta is thrilled with the exceptional performances of centre-back duo Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba.

He said of Sunday's trip: “They are in a great moment and have been very, very consistent for the past two seasons together. There is an unbelievable chemistry there and you can sense it. They have both been exceptional.

“When you see the stats and the number of goals that Haaland scores then you can tell that he is one of the main sources. We always look at the individuals and the strengths that they have and how we can nullify that. We need to stop him from scoring.”

Arsenal have conceded six goals in five games so far this term.

Arteta added: “We wanted the same (recovery) as them. We’re not getting it so we have to adapt and we have to prepare.

“It’s incredibly rare to get three away games in six days like this but we have to be ready. We want to improve in certain areas but in order to do that it’s important that we have to be much, much better.

“We need to create more for sure. There’s no question about that and we have been really open about discussing that. But the chances have to be created because the process has to be good. That’s what we need, consistency.”