Arsenal travel to the Etihad on Sunday afternoon knowing that a win against Manchester City will put them within reach of their first Premier League title in 23 years.
Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal could take a big step towards the title by defeating Man City (Image: Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
Mikel Arteta has sent an exciting message to his Arsenal players ahead of the title decider against Manchester City.
Manager Arteta told the players to “do their best” as they look to put in a performance that will dispel any doubts that remain against their biggest rivals.
The Gunners are still six points clear, but City have a game in hand and if Guardiola’s side win on Sunday and beat Burnley three days later, they can knock Arsenal off the top of the table on goal difference.
It will be a huge test of Arsenal’s mentality and determination to win the title, having been at the top of the Premier League for almost 200 days.
But Arteta gave a powerful speech, saying his final message before taking to the pitch was to tell the stars to believe in themselves.
read more: Mikel Arteta lights fire in Arsenal training to get Gunners back on trackread more: Mikel Arteta and Arsenal need to make a statement against Man City to avoid another heartbreak
Gunners manager Arteta said: “Do your best. Be yourself and give your all on the pitch. Let’s do our best with great faith and belief. We are more than capable of doing that.”
City manager Guardiola insisted that if his team lost, all titles would be over and Arsenal would become champions.
However, Arsenal’s situation continues to be unstable, as they lost to Bournemouth in their last Premier League game, lost to City in the Carabao Cup final, and were eliminated from the FA Cup.
The Gunners have advanced to the Champions League semi-finals, but they are attracting attention as it would be a devastating blow to Arteta if they take away the title from there.
Arsenal’s loss to Bournemouth opens the door for Manchester City to compete for the title.
But rather than fearing the pressure, Arteta urged his players to embrace it and use it positively.
Arteta added: “100 per cent. We are exactly where we want to be, there have been a lot of positive things and I don’t think anything will hold us back.”
“We’re in the situation we want to be at the time we want to play against an opponent that needs the best of us, so it doesn’t get any better than that.”
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