Ahead of Man City vs Arsenal, Arteta believes the Gunners will no longer be slaughtered at the Etihad

Jakarta, Beritasatu.com – Arsenal manager, Mikel Arteta, believes in his team's abilities in the match against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium, Sunday (31/3/2024) evening WIB.

Arteta stated that his team felt more confident than on their previous visit to the Etihad in April 2023. At that time, the Gunners were crushed by The Citizen with a landslide score of 4-1.

Arteta's confidence ahead of this meeting is based on his team's situation and the positive moments they are experiencing. In fact, Arsenal currently sits at the top of the standings, ahead of City who is in third place.

“Our momentum is different this time. We experienced player injuries and bad results in the previous meeting, but that experience was a lesson for us,” said Arteta in a press conference on Friday (29/3/2024) evening WIB.

The majority of Arsenal's key players are certain to be ready to play in this match. Arteta is just waiting for developments in the fitness conditions of Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli, who have not trained until Thursday (28/3/2024).

Arteta emphasized that Arsenal have shown the ability to catch up to City's level of play in the last year. An example is the 1-0 win at Emirates Stadium last October.

“The match reflected the level of play of the opponents we faced. We are trying to reach the same level of play, and I see this team has taken big steps towards getting there,” he added.

Despite this, Arsenal have not managed to win in their last five meetings at the Etihad in all competitions. Apart from last season's 4-1 defeat, Arsenal also lost 0-5 to City in August 2021.