Odegaard Says Fiery Arsenal-man City Rivalry Natural

Arsenal and Manchester Citys fiery rivalry is a natural byproduct of both teams desire to be the best, the north London clubs captain Martin Odegaard said ahead of their Premier League clash at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.

Arsenal finished runners-up to City in 2022-23 and took the Premier League title race to the final day last season before once again finishing second behind Pep Guardiolas side.

Tempers flared during their last meeting in September as Odegaards Norwegian compatriot Erling Haaland threw the ball at Arsenal defender Gabriel Magalhaes and directed heated words at Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta, asking him to stay humble.

I think in football, games like this, the emotions are so high and the adrenaline is there and everything. Thats something that can happen on the pitch and then when you walk off the pitch, then you are done with it, Odegaard told British media.

It is not something I think too much about. I think it is normal when you play these big games that there is a big rivalry. You are competing and you want to be the best. So, thats how it should be and there should be a little bit of heat sometimes.