Mikel Arteta wants his Arsenal side to prove they have “made another step” by winning at Manchester City on Sunday.
The Gunners have not won at Etihad Stadium since January 2015 and Arteta is determined to end that hoodoo.
Arsenal earned a point at City last season, playing out a 0-0 draw, but now Arteta wants his side to go for the win.
Three points would take the Gunners above Pep Guardiola’s side and top of the Premier League.
“We’re expecting a really competitive atmosphere,” said Arteta.
“We go to the home of the champions, the team that I think in Premier League history has been the most consistent ever, not only in terms of results but in terms of dominance and consistent top performances.
“This is the challenge, we have to go there and prove that again we’ve made another step and we can compete.
“We’ve been preparing for this since pre-season. We knew the schedule and that it’s extremely rare to play in these conditions with three massive away games in six days, but it was what it is so we have prepared for that, physically, mentally and tactically.
“We’re making sure that everyone is ready for it, because we’re going to need them, especially with the injuries that we had from the international break.”
Sunday’s game will be Arsenal’s third away match in eight days after facing Tottenham last week and Atalanta on Thursday.
City, in contrast, played Brentford and Inter Milan at home on Saturday and Wednesday respectively - but Arteta is not complaining about his side’s lack of rest.
“We wanted the same as them [as City], we’re not getting it,” he said. “So we have to adapt and make the most of the time that we have today and tomorrow and on the morning of the match to prepare in the best way to go there and win the game.
“I enjoy a lot of time in the office and on the training ground. We want to be in the position we’re in - we dreamed of this years ago and we’re in this position right now. Let’s make the most out of it and enjoy it.”
Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard will miss the game with City and Arteta is still unsure when he will be back.
“We need to see the development in the next week or so, how the ankle reacts first of all and then we can give an update and timeframe for how long he will be out for,” he said.
