Martin Ødegaard discusses Arsenal's upcoming clash with Manchester City, acknowledging the heated rivalry while highlighting the friendly connections between players from both sides. He also addresses Erling Haaland's recent outburst towards Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta, emphasizing the intensity of the game and the importance of moving on after the final whistle.
Martin Ødegaard celebrates scoring in the Champions League against GNK Dinamo at the Emirates Stadiun, London, on January 22nd. Photograph: Alex Pantling/Getty Images Haaland scored the first goal but City needed a late John Stones strike to rescue a point against a team they have not defeated in their past four meetings. Arsenal have finished as runners-up to City in the past two seasons, and Ødegaard is expecting an extra edge to proceedings.
“It is not something I think too much about. We are good friends. Him and a few of the other boys from the national team, we have a little group chat, so we stay in touch there and we speak every now and then. To be fair, not about football, just about random things. We haven’t spoken about the game, but he is a good friend.”
Creative responsibility will continue to fall on Ødegaard, who admitted his return of only one Premier League goal this season “hasn’t been good enough”. David Raya is a doubt to face City owing to a muscular injury that meant the goalkeeper sat out the victory over Girona that secured qualification for the last 16 of the Champions League.
“We’re in a good position and we have to remember that,” he said. “But I feel like we have another gear to hit and it was the same last year. We really hit top form towards the end of the season. Hopefully we can do that again.
ARSENAL MANCHESTER CITY ØDEGAARD HAALAND RIVALRY
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