Unbelievable team — Guardiola showers praise on Arsenal ahead of blockbuster clash

Pep Guardiola has claimed that Arsenal has "the most solid team" in Europe, a ringing endorsement that sets the stage for a crucial Premier League clash between the two sides this Sunday.

Guardiola was speaking to the media ahead of City's trip to the Emirates. Both teams are coming off convincing victories in the Champions League midweek, with Mikel Arteta's side beating Athletic Club 2-0 and City seeing off Napoli by the same scoreline.

Guardiola's high praise for Arsenal is backed by recent history. The former champions have failed to defeat Arsenal in their last four fixtures, a run that includes a humbling 5-1 thrashing in February.

This difficult run of results gives extra weight to the City manager's comments.

Guardiola said: "Mikel [Arteta] is an extraordinary manager, and what they’ve done in increasing the squad in these four, five transfer windows.

"It’s an unbelievable squad, and an unbelievable team – it’s one of the toughest opponents you can find right now in Europe.”

City have won back-to-back games for the first time this season, and despite being slight underdogs here, Guardiola will believe they have a chance of winning.