Mikel Arteta: Arsenal have prepared for Man City showdown 'since pre-season'

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has admitted he has been working on a plan to upset Manchester City since the summer.

The Gunners travel to the Etihad Stadium to face their title rivals on Sunday, rounding off an intense seven-day stretch which has also included trips to rivals Tottenham Hotspur and then Atalanta in the UEFA Champions League.

Arteta's side managed to get through those two games relatively unscathed, beating Spurs 1-0 before grinding out a 0-0 draw in Bergamo.

At a press conference on Friday, Arteta claimed that the brutality of this early-season schedule meant he began planning to face City long ago.

"We've been preparing for this since pre-season," he said. "Obviously, we knew the schedule and we know 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 drew 0-0 at City during the latter stages of the 2023/24 campaign, which ultimately led to them losing out on the title by only a single point.

After lifting the trophy on the last day of the season, Rodri criticised the Gunners for only playing for a draw that day and took a swipe at their mentality.

Arteta has now urged his players to show they are able to take 'another step' in their pursuit of glory.

"We go to the home of the champions, the team that I think in Premier League history has been the most consistent ever, not only in terms of results but in terms of dominance and consistent top performances," he added.

"This is the challenge. We have to go there and prove that again we've made another step and we can compete."

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