This season, there is a tight race for the Premier League title between Arsenal and Manchester City, but Mikel Arteta, the manager of the north London club, stated that it will not influence his friendship with his rival Pep Guardiola (52).
Prior to being named manager of Arsenal after Unai Emery left, the former footballer Arteta assisted Guardiola at City from 2016 until 2019. With 50 points after 19 matches, Arteta’s team leads the league standings by five points above City, who are in second place but have played one more game. The fourth-round FA Cup match will take place on Friday at the Etihad Stadium.
Asked about how he felt about going head-to-head with Guardiola in the league and FA Cup, Arteta told reporters: “I always hoped this would be the case one day and it is happening this season.
“Obviously that is not going to change any friendship, how important he is in my life and how important he is to my profession.
“We both want to win and defend our clubs the best possible way. That has always been the case since day one.”
A victory on Friday, according to Arteta, who led Arsenal to the FA Cup in 2019–20, would give his squad momentum and bolster their confidence.
“In some ways it will define our season, yes, because if we are able to win on Friday we will go into the next round and they won’t,” Arteta added.
“It is a very important competition for us and winning will define this moment, for sure, as it will give us a chance to try to go on and win this trophy.
“This is a big test against, in my opinion, the best football team in the world. I am looking forward to it. It will tell us a lot about where we are.”
Saturday’s meeting will be the teams’ first this season.
