Mikel Arteta threatens to ‘kill’ Arsenal players before Man City match

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has threatened to ‘murder’ any of his players who fear his Premier League title clash with Manchester City.

The Gunners travel to the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday night five points clear of their top-table hosts, though they have played two more games and possibly a tougher encounter.

Arteta’s men head north having drawn their last three games, losing a considerable amount of momentum at the worst possible time.

The Spaniard was asked in his pre-match press conference if it was possible for his players to be intimidated by a big occasion.

“No. And if they do, I’ll just say: ‘I’ll kill them.’ And I don’t want that at all,” Arteta replied.

“Yes, it’s going to be a difficult and challenging night, but the opportunity is incredible for us. We knew from the start that if you want to win a Premier League, you have to go to Spurs and beat them. You have to go to Chelsea and you have to beat them. You have to leave home and win. This is what we have been doing. That is why we are here.

“Now you have to go to City and you have to beat them. If you want to be champions you have to win those games. It’s as simple as that.”

The terrible record of Arsenal vs Man City

Arsenal have beaten Man City just twice since Pep Guardiola moved to England, and never in the Premier League.

Man City have won seven games in a row against the Gunners since their last loss to Arteta’s side, with a couple of those wins earning sizeable winning margins.