“They were celebrating like they’d won the league” - Harry Redknapp warns Arsenal ahead of Manchester City clash

Former Tottenham Hotspur manager Harry Redknapp has sent a warning to Arsenal ahead of their Premier League clash against Manchester City on Sunday, September 22. The Englishman stated that the Gunners could find it difficult to replicate the result from their recent 1-0 success in the north London derby.

Arsenal will be determined to make it back-to-back wins in the Premier League by overcoming Pep Guardiola's Manchester City.

Ahead of the fixture on Sunday, Redknapp seemed to be taking a dig at Arsenal's celebrations after the derby win. The former Spurs manager told BetVictor (via Goal):

"Arsenal were without captain Martin Odegaard and key midfielder Declan Rice and still managed to survive a frantic north London derby. They were celebrating like they’d won the league at the end of the match! I can’t see the same happening against Manchester City."

The Gunners were without Declan Rice (suspension) and Martin Odegaard (ankle injury) for the match against Spurs. Although Rice will be available for the clash against City, Odegaard is expected to remain on the sidelines for a while.

Notably, both Arsenal and Manchester City failed to impress in their midweek UEFA Champions League fixtures. The Gunners played out a goalless draw against Serie A outfit Atalanta at the Emirates Stadium on Thursday, September 19.

The Cityzens, on the other hand, also recorded a 0-0 draw against Inter Milan on Wednesday (September). Hopefully, both sides will find their scoring boots in the Premier League this Sunday.

How Arsenal and Manchester City have fared against each other in recent games

Arsenal and Manchester City played out two close encounters in the Premier League last season.

The Gunners scraped a hard-fought 1-0 win in their first meeting at the Emirates Stadium back in October 2023. Martinelli scored the winner in the 86th minute. In March, the two teams played out a goalless draw at the Etihad.

After that, the two sides also faced each other in the Community Shield at the beginning of this season. Mikel Arteta's men came out on top once again, triumphing in a penalty shootout after a 1-1 draw at the Wembley Stadium.

Meanwhile, it is worth noting that while Arsenal won the battle, Manchester City won the war last season. The Cityzens have pipped the Londoners to the Premier League title in each of the last two seasons. Will this term be different? Only time will tell.