25 April 2023 , 21:30
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Mikel Arteta says he is ready to “kill” any of his players who are intimidated by the title crunch at Manchester City,
Arteta is convinced Arsenal can pull off a massive result at the Etihad and says his squad are prepared for the biggest game of their season.
It has become a title shoot-out as Arsenal need to win to regain control of the race to win the Premier League and has no doubts about his players despite their recent wobble.
When asked whether there was any danger of his players being inhibited at City, the Gunners boss said: “No. And if they do, I will just say: ‘I will kill them.’ And I don’t want that at all.”
Arteta has seen his players drop points after being held by Liverpool, West Ham and Southampton in their last three games which has given the edge to City.
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But despite the huge challenge of winning at the reigning champions, Arteta insists his players will relish the opportunity and always knew the going would get tough.
Arsenal were held to a 3-3 draw against Southampton (Offside via Getty Images)Arteta said: “Yeah, it’s going to be a tough night and challenge but the opportunity is incredible for us. We knew from the beginning, if you want to win a Premier League, you have to go to Spurs and beat them. You have to go to Chelsea and you have to beat them.
“You have to go away from home and win. This is what we’ve been doing. This is why we’re here. Now you have to go to City and you have to beat them. If you want to be champions you have to win those matches. It’s as simple as that.”
Meanwhile, Arsenal expect to have Granit Xhaka back after illness but William Saliba has been ruled out of at least the next two games.