Mikel Arteta, head coach of Arsenal, has spoken to the press ahead of the big game against Manchester City on Sunday in Manchester.
The Spaniard released an injury update, gave an assessment on the Cityzens and Arsenal’s journey so far in the Uefa Champions League.
The North London Club will be heading into the clash after suffering a 2-1 defeat in the Premier League game against AFC Bournemouth last weekend. It was a morale-crushing outcome for the League toppers.
Arsenal and Manchester City will do battle in the Premier League match on Sunday 19 April, 2026 at Etihad Stadium at 16:30 (WAT).
On England winger, Noni Madueke, Arteta expressed his doubts to arsenal.com in the availability of the player for the game against Pep Guardiola’s men. He however said, the former Chelsea player looked “quite positive”, adding, his availability will be ascertained after training prior to the showdown.
Madueke came off on Wednesday during the Uefa Champions League quarter final second leg against Sporting CP at Emirates Stadium. The game finished goalless and Arsenal scaled through to the semis with a lone goal aggregate victory.
The former Gunners midfielder tagged the top flight match against City as “the most important one” as the match can decide who emerges the new Kings of England. He described Manchester City as the “best team”, however, declared the Gunners are prepared to win on Sunday evening.
Arteta described the Champions League game against Sporting CP as a morale booster, placing the Lisbon-based side among the “top, best” clubs in Europe
At his pre-Manchester City press conference, Arteta said:
On Madueke after coming off against Sporting CP…
“Well, we have another training session tomorrow. He didn’t look that bad after the game, and he was quite positive. He’s a player who pushes through pain, so I’m hopeful that he can be available, but we have to wait and see if he’s able to train tomorrow.”
On whether Odegaard, Timber and Calafiori will be available…
“We will try again. Some players are quite close, but the turnaround is short, so we will try tomorrow to push everybody, and if they are in good condition, they will be part of us, and if not, they won’t. They haven’t been in the last few weeks, unfortunately.”
On Saka’s availability…
“Bukayo [Saka] is out, that’s for sure.”
On progressing to the Champions League semis…
“It was a great night. It really gave us a boost because to be part of those top, best European clubs is a big thing, and we haven’t been there that often, so we really value that.
“We give a huge credit to the players for what they’ve done and they have to use that fuel, that energy that they gave us for Sunday, for the big game that we have to play.”
On the importance of the match against Manchester City…
“It’s certainly the most important one because it’s the next one. We have earned the right to be in this position, to be challenging and with the possibility to win and the opportunity to win on Sunday, arguably against the best team and the best manager that this league has ever seen.
“That’s a huge privilege, and we cannot wait to play the game. We’re going to prepare the game to win it, that’s for sure.”
