Arsenal are set to end a tough week with their most difficult fixture of the season as they travel to face Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium.
Mikel Arteta’s side have navigated tough trips to Tottenham Hotspur and Atalanta without conceding a goal, with a 1-0 victory in the North London derby and a 0-0 draw in Bergamo.
An injury to Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard has weakened the team, but they are otherwise in a strong position heading into the crunch clash at Man City.
Arsenal do have cause for complaint though, as they have experienced a vastly different week of preparation to their title rivals.
Whilst the Gunners had to endure two away trips, Man City were at home for both of their games against Brentford and Inter Milan, and Arteta has highlighted the extra difficulty his side faced in their preparation.
Mikel Arteta frustrated at scheduling ahead of Man City vs Arsenal
Man City beat Brentford 2-1 at the Etihad last Saturday in the Premier League, before drawing 0-0 with Inter Milan in the Champions League on Wednesday.
Arsenal meanwhile, had an away trip to Tottenham last Sunday, before a trip to Italy to draw with Atalanta on Thursday, meaning they had less rest and recovery time, as well as a lot more travelling to do.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Arteta admitted that this was not his ideal schedule, as he wanted his side’s preparation to match Pep Guardiola’s.
“We wanted the same as them, we’re not getting it, so we have to adapt and make the most of the time that we have today and tomorrow and on the morning of the match to prepare in the best way to go there and win the game,” he stated.
Arsenal fixture pileup is ‘extremely rare’
Having three tough away trips within a week is surprisingly tough scheduling, and Arteta has admitted that his side have had to prepare for the week well in advance.
“We’ve been preparing for this since pre-season,” he added.
“Obviously, we knew the schedule and we knew that it’s extremely rare to play in these conditions with three massive away games in six days, but it was what it was so we have prepared for that, both physically, mentally and tactically.
“We’re making sure that everyone is ready for it, because we’re going to need them, especially with the injuries that we had from the international break.”
Arsenal welcomed Riccardo Calafiori back from injury against Atalanta, but without their captain Odegaard, it will take a special performance to record what would be a huge victory at the Champions.
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