Arsenal vs. Manchester City: Gunners Who Must Dominate to Win Elite EPL Clash

Arsenal will be looking to throw a wrench into Manchester City's Premier League title plans when the Citizens visit Emirates Stadium on Sunday. In order to make that happen, the Gunners' marquee players will need to step up in a major way.

Let's take a look at three players under a lot of pressure to perform this weekend as Arsenal attempts to defend its spot in the top three.

Theo Walcott

The ultimate enigma, Walcott has been riding a hot streak lately with goals in each of the last two games. When he's playing well, there isn't a back line that can slow him down, but his consistency has always been an issue.

Walcott's effectiveness is normally directly related to his aggressiveness. He needs to remain in attack mode from the first whistle until the last one. When he does that, the Gunners offense becomes far more dangerous than when he's waiting for the play to come to him.

In the first meeting, Walcott was basically invisible before being subbed out in the 68th minute. Arsenal needs a more complete performance from him on Sunday to have any chance of claiming all three points.

Wojciech Szczesny

Szczesny doesn't receive nearly enough credit for his role in Arsenal's rise. He kept them in a lot of games earlier in the season when the defenders were struggling to get on the same page, and it turns out those points are now crucial.

He'll have his work cut out against the league's second-ranked offense. City has scored 75 goals, just one less than rival Manchester United, thanks to the dynamic attacking trio of Sergio Aguero, Mario Balotelli and Edin Dzeko.

The 21-year-old Polish goalkeeper will surely need to turn away at least two or three terrific scoring chances to keep Arsenal in the game. Based on his performance throughout the season, that isn't too much to ask.

Robin van Persie

The list wouldn't be complete without van Persie. He leads the Premier League in scoring with 26 goals, which gives him a five-goal edge over Wayne Rooney, and he carried the Gunners on his back for quite a few stretches this year.

He hasn't scored in the last three games, one short of tying his longest drought of the season. In other words, he's due to find the net again before long. It wouldn't surprise anybody if van Persie was the guy who gives Arsenal the early boost it needs.

Elite players rise to the occasion in the biggest games and Sunday's match definitely qualifies. The in-form superstar must step up and lead the Gunners to a gigantic victory.