Martin Odegaard makes telling admission over Man City rivalry after Erling Haaland jibe

Arsenal skipper Martin Odegaard has stoked the flames up of Sunday's showdown with Manchester City arsenic the Gunners bid to support up the vigor connected Liverpool astatine the Premier League summit

Martin Odegaard says Arsenal are acceptable for the “heat” up of their bitter showdown with Manchester City.

Gunners skipper Odegaard claims the rivalry betwixt Arsenal and City has pushed them some to caller levels successful the Premier League rubric race.

City and Arsenal players were progressive successful aggravated scenes astatine the extremity of their draw astatine the Etihad successful September erstwhile Erling Haaland made his celebrated “stay humble” taunt.

Odegaard said: “I deliberation it is mean erstwhile you play these large games that determination is simply a large rivalry. You are competing and you privation to beryllium the best. So, that’s however it should beryllium and determination should beryllium a small spot of vigor sometimes.

“With Man City, we person been warring with them for the rubric for a fewer years and I deliberation it makes you better. It has to get the champion retired of you and that’s what we privation to execute this year.

“It’s hard to compare, but I deliberation it has been large the past 2 years - particularly past twelvemonth going into the past time and each that. I deliberation that is thing everyone volition person successful caput going into the crippled - supporters and players - and possibly it brings that other tension.

“But that is good, we similar it. We similar that benignant of feeling, you besides person it with the North London Derby. It is simply a peculiar feeling and those are large games to play in. Everyone is looking guardant to it.”

That erstwhile gathering saw Mikel Arteta get progressive successful a heating speech with Haaland, Arsenal had to play with 10 men for the full 2nd fractional aft Leandro Trossard was sent disconnected and past City snatched a past gasp equaliser.

It stoked up the rivalry betwixt some clubs and besides Arteta and City brag Pep Guardiola contempt them antecedently being large pals and the Arsenal manager was antecedently a manager astatine the Etihad.

Haaland volition beryllium nationalist force No1 with Arsenal fans astatine the Emirates connected Sunday but Odegaard revealed helium remains precise bully friends with his Norway squad mate.

Odegaard added: “We are bully friends. Him and a fewer of the different boys from the nationalist team, we person a small radical chat, truthful we enactment successful interaction determination and we talk each present and then. We haven’t spoken astir the game, but helium is simply a bully friend, truthful I talk to him.

“I deliberation successful football, games similar this, the emotions are truthful precocious and the adrenaline is determination and everything. So, that’s thing that tin hap connected the transportation and past erstwhile you locomotion disconnected the pitch, past you are done with it. It is not thing I deliberation excessively overmuch about.

“But then, I deliberation a batch of the players cognize each different from the nationalist squad - England, Brazil, maine with Erling - truthful connected the transportation and disconnected the transportation it is simply a spot different. When we are connected the pitch, past it’s a bully battle.”

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