MIKEL ARTETA hopes his inside knowledge of Manchester City will help him pile on the pressure for best mate Pep Guardiola tomorrow.
Arsenal travel to the Etihad on the back of an eight game unbeaten run in the League and still aiming for Champions League qualification.
It will be Arteta’s first game back at City since quitting as Guardiola’s right-hand man to take over as Arsenal boss in December.
And he knows that City’s defeat in Sunday’s Manchester derby will make them an even more dangerous opponent.
He says: “My knowledge of City gives me a very clear idea of what they are trying to do and what they will be looking to do on Wednesday night.
“But it’s one thing having that information and another thing being able to stop them and creating issues for them.
“When Manchester City are at their best, we know what they are capable of and the variations they have.
“To have any chance of winning a game at the Etihad against those City players, we will have to be at our absolute best.
“They have been very unlucky in some of the games they have lost this season. I was at City when we completely dominated games and lost in one or two details.”
Arteta was on the City bench when they hammered Arsenal 3-0 at the Emirates five days before it was confirmed that he was returning to Arsenal as boss.
That match proved to be a real eye-opener for the Spaniard, who says: “I can’t really judge how much we have evolved in the last two months because I can’t judge what was going on behind the scenes before I came here.
“But I know the team that I took and I think we have made progress in a lot of areas even though there are other areas that still need a lot of improvement.
“It’s going to be a very special night and I am excited to go back to the Emirates.
“I have some fantastic memories and a lot of friends that I like. But now I am in a different position on another bench and I will defend my club as well as I can.”
Arteta also confirmed that it is unlikely that Uruguayan midfielder Lucas Torreita will play again this season after suffering a fractured ankle during last week’s FA Cup win at Portsmouth.
“Lucas is really keen to play again this season and I wouldn’t like to rule him out, but whether that is realistic or not, we’ll know in the next two or three weeks.
“It depends on how the bone is healing and how he’s doing in his rehab.”
