Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has fired a passionate warning to Arsenal ahead of this Sunday’s crunch top-of-the-table Premier League contest at Emirates Stadium.
The Citizens travel to north London looking to rebuild their advantage atop the standings to Tottenham Hotspur and the Gunners. Manchester City currently top the north London rivals by just one single point. Spurs and Arsenal are also the only unbeaten teams left this season.
Wolves stunned Guardiola last week by winning 2-1 and also ensuring that Manchester City cannot threaten Arsenal’s Invincibles season. It is now 20 years since the Gunners went the entire campaign unbeaten. Mikel Arteta also hopes to oversee their first title since 2003/04.
Pep Guardiola fires a passionate warning to Arsenal
Defeat at Molineux further saw the Citizens lose back-to-back games after bowing out of the Carabao Cup at Newcastle United. Now, Arteta can deal the Etihad Stadium outfit successive top-flight losses for the first time since December 2018 when Arsenal host Manchester City.
But Guardiola has issued a passionate warning to his former mentee, believing that his City players will take some beating. Even had they lost at RB Leipzig in the Champions League on Wednesday, the Catalan coach doubts it would have shaken his side before Sunday’s clash.
“If you think I’m going to doubt my players or what we can do this season, [even if] we lose again today, you are wrong,” Guardiola told TNT Sports, via the MEN. “I rely on these guys unconditionally, winning or not winning, because I know in training the mentality they have.
“We will go to Arsenal to do our game. Hopefully, we can arrive in March, April, May being there, close to the competitions. I have a feeling we will not be an easy opponent to beat.”
Mikel Arteta has a poor record vs Manchester City
Manchester City scrapped through a 3-1 win at RB Leipzig with late goals from Julian Alvarez and Jeremy Doku. Lois Openda (48’) initially got Die Roten Bullen level after Phil Foden (25’) broke the deadlock. But Alvarez (84’) and Doku (90+2’) flashed home in the closing stages.
The win will surely restore any confidence the Citizens lost after back-to-back defeats ahead of Sunday’s crunch Premier League match. Guardiola has also beaten Arteta in eight of their 10 encounters as managers. The Gunners also only won once during normal time in those.
Arteta ended a seven-game losing streak to Guardiola in August as Arsenal beat Manchester City on penalties to lift the Community Shield. Now, Arsenal face Manchester City on Sunday able to go atop the Premier League table with Arteta’s first top-flight win over Guardiola yet.
Receive a digest of our best Arsenal content each week direct to your mailbox
