Arsenal and Manchester City clash in the top fight of the evening.
Mikel Arteta (left) and Pep Guardiola put their friendship aside for a moment. PDO
The managers of Arsenal and Manchester City are good friends.
The two have known each other since Mikel Arteta’s teenage years, when the promising Basque player moved from his home to Barcelona’s academy. Pep Guardiola was already a regular face in Barça’s representative team when he was 11 years older.
As an adult, Arteta absorbed all the tactical subtleties from Guardiola when he worked as the City manager’s assistant for 3.5 successful years.
This fall, the competitor has grown into a fully-fledged champion, as the Gunners have gone almost from victory to victory in the top spot of the Premier League. When the friends meet tonight, Arsenal can deliver a decisive coup d’état for the championship.
– It has been the best team in the Premier League. They are dedicated, sharp and there is a really big fight ahead. We have to be ready in every department, Guardiola admitted.
It is the first meeting of the league season between the two championship candidates, which was postponed from the fall due to the queen’s death. City would rise to the top of the league if they won the match, but they still have one more match to play.
– Full credit goes to City for what they have achieved in recent years. Our challenge is to rise to that same level. That’s what we want and that’s what we’re aiming for, Arteta formulated.
The match between Arsenal and City can be watched on VSport channels and Elisa Viihde Viaplay’s service starting at 21:30.