Friends Turn Into Foes As Pep Guardiola Hosts Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal

Mikel Arteta returns to his former employers when he takes his Arsenal team to face the defending champions Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday.

Arteta worked as the assistant to Pep Guardiola and they won two league titles in three years. The two are still friends and keep close contact with each other but that friendship will be forgotten at least for ninety minutes at the Etihad.

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Manchester City comes into this match on the back of a disappointing 2-0 derby loss to Manchester United on Sunday. With a Champions League tie against Real Madrid on the horizon, Guardiola needs a win for confidence and morale.

Midfielder Kevin De Bryune missed the loss at Old Trafford but he should be fit enough to face the Gunners whom he scored twice against in the first leg at the Emirates Stadium. Leroy Sane should also be available having missed the whole season with a knee injury.

Meanwhile, Arsenal is unbeaten in the league since the turn of the year and come into the match on a three-game winning streak. Mikel Arteta has done really well to save the sinking ship that Unai Emery left behind but the team is still a long way from fully recovering.

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The main agenda for Arsenal this season is to qualify for the Champions League and with games running out, every point is valuable. Lucas Torreira will miss this match and possibly the rest of the season with an ankle injury but Cedric Soares and Shkodran Mustafi are fit to play.

This match will, however, be viewed by many as a meeting of a student against his master

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