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Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
Sport
Will Freeman & James Quinlan

'Incredible' - Rodri praises Arsenal ahead of crucial fixture as Man City close gap

Rodri has praised Arsenal ahead of Man City's trip to the Emirates on Wednesday, saying that the Blues must show they are better than the current Premier League leaders.

City closed the gap at the top of the table to three points with a win over Aston Villa on Sunday, which came after Arsenal were held to a draw by Brentford on Saturday. This means that the match now has extra significance with City able to draw level on points with a win, albeit having played a game more than the North London club.

Rodri opened the scoring for Manchester City on Sunday, with a fourth-minute goal to begin a first-half rout which saw City enter half-time with a three-goal lead. There was also very warm applause at the Etihad when it was announced that the Spanish midfielder had been announced as man of the match at full time.

ALSO READ: Man City vs Aston Villa live updates

As the winner of man of the match, Rodri spoke to Sky Sports after the match alongside captain Ilkay Gundogan and spoke of his excitement for the fixture while acknowledging the quality of Arsenal.

"We know there is still other games to go, I know it’s a big game for us and for them, so as every game, we know they are the leaders and if we want to be there at the end of the season we have to perform well, we have to show we are better than them, and that has to happen on Wednesday." He said.

"I think they have been incredible this season, great players and very good performances. We make a step forward in these games even though we sometimes don’t have the result, but we’ve got to go to the Emirates to beat them and show the best version of Manchester City."

It is the first time that the Premier League's two top teams will have met this season and is sure to be a high-quality match as Mikel Arteta faces Guardiola having once worked under the City manager as his assistant. City will be sweating on the fitness of Erling Haaland, with the striker being taken off at half-time in Sunday's win and his fitness will be a key talking point in the build-up to the match.

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