Pep Guardiola says he feels ‘so sorry’ for one Arsenal player after what happened recently

Add as preferred source on Google

Manchester City host Arsenal in the Premier League in what is a huge game.

The Gunners picked up a hard-fought draw in the corresponding fixture in the 2023/24 season, a few months after they beat Pep Guardiola’s side at the Emirates.

Arsenal will be hoping for another positive result on Sunday, but it will be a very difficult game against a City side who have won all of their Premier League games so far this season.

The clash at the Etihad on Sunday will be an interesting watch, but Arsenal have a few difficulties going into the game.

Pep Guardiola reacts after hearing that Arsenal star Martin Odegaard is injured

Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard suffered a nasty ankle injury while on international duty with Norway.

The former Real Madrid man is one of Arsenal’s best players. Without him, the Gunners often look clueless in attack and barely create any chances.

Mikel Arteta has confirmed that Odegaard will be sidelined for a while, which means he is definitely ruled out of the game against Manchester City on Sunday.

That is a massive blow for the North Londoners, who will need all the help they can possibly get to beat the champions in their own backyard.

Guardiola knows just how special a player Odegaard is, and you would imagine that he’s glad his side won’t have to deal with him on Sunday.

However, the Manchester City boss has claimed that he feels really sorry for the Arsenal captain because he is an exceptional player.

When asked about Odegaard’s injury, Guardiola said, as relayed on HaytersTV: “I’m so sorry for him. I always like to play against the biggest and toughest squad.

“Of course, he is an important player, but year by year, Arsenal are getting better because they invest a lot in squad depth, to have more players available during the long season when you have problems with injuries, suspensions, bad form or whatever. Always, having a deep squad helps you.

“But, he’s the captain of Arsenal and everybody knows how important, how good and how exceptional a player he is.”

READ MORE: Pep Guardiola says Man City have one key ‘advantage’ over Arsenal ahead of Etihad clash

Arsenal’s record in the Premier League with and without Martin Odegaard

Odegaard is such an important player for Arsenal.

All the good things the Gunners do in attack usually go through him, and his absence definitely limits their creativity in the final third.

In the Premier League since Odegaard joined the club, Arsenal have played 116 games and have won 77 of them, maintaining a win rate of 66.4 per cent. They average 2.1 goals per game when he is in the side.

Arsenal have played 20 games in the league without Odegaard and have won just 11. That’s a win rate of 55 per cent, which is not great at all. The Gunners also average fewer goals per game when he’s not in the side – only 1.6 every 90 minutes.

Odegaard will be a big miss for Arsenal on Sunday, but if they manage to beat Manchester City without him, that would be a huge statement.