Mikel Arteta knows his side must win against West Ham on Saturday. Arsenal make the short trip across the capital hoping to secure what would be an important three points in the Premier League title race.
Liverpool and Manchester City face each other this weekend which means at least one will drop points. Arteta is not getting ahead of himself, though, and is concentrating on his own side before he turns his attention to Anfield on Sunday.
"[I will be watching], 100%. It’s a big match, a beautiful match to watch," Arteta said. "Two of the best teams in Europe facing each other. So it’s a big one."
Asked on Friday if he has a preference on who wins, the Spaniard admitted: "Yeah, Arsenal tomorrow. That’s the preference. We will see. It’s something that we cannot control."
Arsenal are currently fourth in the Premier League, nine points behind Liverpool who have won 10 of their 12 games under Arne Slot. Man City, meanwhile, are in second place and just one point ahead of the north Londoners.
Saturday gives Arteta and his squad the perfect opportunity to pile the pressure on both Liverpool and Man City. The Gunners face West Ham in the Saturday evening kick-off, which means they can put points on the board even before their title rivals take to the field.
Liverpool vs Man City is scheduled to kick-off at 4pm on Sunday, nearly 24 hours after Arsenal face the Hammers. Both Slot and Pep Guardiola will no doubt be looking over their shoulders at Arsenal, who have improved in recent weeks following the return of Martin Odegaard.
With a kind fixture schedule which sees the Gunners remain in London now until January 4 when they face Brighton, everyone associated with Arsenal will be hoping lots of points can be acquired in the coming weeks. First up - West Ham away on Saturday.
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Keep warm on the sidelines