Topics: Mikel Arteta, Pep Guardiola, Arsenal, Manchester City, FA Cup
Ahead of their FA Cup showdown on Friday, Pep opened up about his fellow Spaniard's love for the North London giants.

It has been just over three years since Arsenal appointed Mikel Arteta as their head coach, and while that decision sparked debate back then, Pep Guardiola has just revealed that there was never going to be any other club for the young Spanish tactician.

Pep, who worked with Mikel for a number of years at Manchester City, is preparing to lock horns with his former assistant coach in the FA Cup. The Cityzens will host the Gunners this Friday and while both teams are likely to rotate, this will be a clash between the two best sides in the country.

The North London giants are currently top of the Premier League, boasting a game in hand and a five-point advantage over second-placed Manchester City. This means that their 4th round FA Cup battle at the Etihad Stadium will be a dress rehearsal for their upcoming top-flight encounter on February 15.

Speaking ahead of their run-in, Guardiola touched upon Arteta, who went from being a maligned figure in his early days as the Emirates Stadium boss to now a highly-respected manager. Pep, who is a close friend of the Arsenal boss, revealed a heartwarming story to reiterate how much Mikel loves the Gunners.

According to the Manchester City manager, Arteta was always a passionate man in the dugout, celebrating every single goal the Cityzens scored. However, when the defending Premier League champions netted against Arsenal, he would never even get off his bench.

And due to this, Pep knew that the former Gunners captain would return to North London to manage his beloved team. Check out the story in the clip below.

Arteta echoed this sentiment in his very-first press conference. Since then, the Spaniard has been slowly rebuilding the English giants and has now established them as one of the best-performing clubs in the continent.

Regardless, the focus will solely be on their upcoming trip to Manchester City. The two clubs will want to win this fixture but only one side can rotate heavily yet still field a world-class eleven and that is the home team.

The visitors are light in midfield, having lost Mohamed Elneny to a potentially-lengthy injury, which means Partey or Lonkonga could start this showdown.