Manchester City and Arsenal, champions and runners-up in the last two seasons and already leading the table after the first four days of this season, will face each other this Saturday at the Etihad Stadium in a match that once again promises intense emotions. A new face in between Pep Guardiola and Mikel Arteta, who is his second on the ‘citizens’ bench.
Leader City defended its all-round victory, while Arsenal, also unbeaten, trailed two points behind, although Both came from a 0-0 draw on their debut in the new Champions League League: Guardiola’s men did it on Wednesday at home against Inter and Arteta’s men did it on Thursday when they visited Atalanta.
That means City will have one more day off compared to Arsenal. “It’s an advantage,” Guardiola admitted today in the pre-match press conference. And he immediately added the sarcasm: “But I’m going to make a list of how many times in the last six years we’ve faced a tough team with an extra day of rest. It’s a very long list.”
De Bruyne, doubt
Furthermore, Guardiola does not know if he will have a key player, the captain Kevin de Bruyne, after limping off at half-time on Wednesday and did not play in the second half. “He feels a little better today. Tomorrow we will train and see. He could be,” he limited himself in saying about the Belgian star.
However, Guardiola is considering the match “it’s not really important” in terms of title determination. “It will be important when we go to London in the second half of the season.” City visit Arsenal on February 1.
“Otherwise they’ll say I’m playing mind games”
Pep emphasized that “Every season they get stronger. The depth of the squad is even better and better,” he highlighted. When asked about Arsenal’s evolution, he said that is a question that is better to ask Arteta. “Because if I have something to say, They will say that I play mind games or something like that. “I’ve always had a high opinion of him and his team.”
Guardiola confirmed that “it has always been a close game in recent years. I think we are a good team, but so are they. They do a lot well, they are a complete team, so they are our biggest rivals. in the last two seasons.”
The threat of a footballers’ strike
Guardiola also pointed out in Rodri’s statements, City player on Tuesday confirmed that footballers will soon go on strike in protest against the saturated match calendar.
“Many, many voices are speaking about it,” Guardiola recalls. “If something is going to change, it must come from the players. The business can function without coaches, without sports directors, without the media, without owners, but without the players, you cannot play.”
Pep insists: that’s it “Not only Rodri, many, many players, and not just in this country, but around the world, people are starting to speak up, so we’ll see.”
Source: La Verdad
I’m Rose Herman and I work as an author for Today Times Live. My expertise lies in writing about sports, a passion of mine that has been with me since childhood. As part of my job, I provide comprehensive coverage on everything from football to tennis to golf.
