Pep Guardiola gives answer Arsenal fans won’t particularly enjoy hearing ahead of Man City showdown

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Arsenal’s trip to Manchester City is set to be a tough one, and it will be a lot more difficult now captain Martin Odegaard is absent.

Odegaard is set to be sidelined for a while after he picked up an injury during the International break, and Arsenal are yet to score from open play without him.

Mikel Arteta has led Arsenal through a tough week after trips to face Tottenham Hotspur and Atalanta, and he bemoaned the scheduling which saw his side play away whilst City played at home on different days.

Man City also drew 0-0 in the Champions League this week as they hosted Italian champions Inter Milan, and they were handed a scare as key midfielder Kevin de Bruyne was forced off with injury.

It was anticipated that the Belgian would miss the clash with Arsenal, but Pep Guardiola has now claimed that this may not be the case.

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Pep Guardiola claims Kevin de Bruyne could face Arsenal

Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Guardiola revealed that De Bruyne could still be available against Arsenal despite his injury.

“Kevin feels a little better, but not yet. Tomorrow we train and we will see,” he stated.

“He could be involved,” Guardiola added when asked about the Arsenal clash.

De Bruyne would have been a huge miss for Man City, and would have balanced out the injury issues on either side following Odegaard’s injury, but Arsenal may now have to face a player who has terrorised them on countless occasions.

Kevin de Bruyne’s frightening record against Arsenal

Arsenal are very familiar with De Bruyne’s quality, given how many times he has put The Gunners to the sword over the years.

In 21 games against Arsenal for Man City, De Bruyne has recorded 14 wins, three draws and four defeats, none of which came at the Etihad Stadium.

He has scored eight times against Arsenal, whilst also providing five assists, and some of his performances have been decisive.

A 3-0 Arsenal defeat at the Emirates Stadium saw De Bruyne score twice in the first half before hitting the crossbar shortly before Arteta became Arsenal manager.

In addition to this, Arsenal’s title clash with Man City at the Etihad two seasons ago began in the worst possible way as De Bruyne scored within five minutes, and the home side went on to win 4-1. If he is missing for the upcoming game, Arsenal fans will breathe a sigh of relief.