Mikel Arteta is “creating something unique” at Arsenal – Pep Guardiola

• Arsenal and Manchester City face each other in the FA Cup semi-final on Saturday at Wembley (19:45 BST).

Pep Guardiola says Mikel Arteta is “creating something unique” at Arsenal and feels the Gunners will challenge for trophies under the Spaniard.

Arsenal go into the game with confidence having beaten new champions Liverpool 2-1 in the league on Wednesday, but have a wretched recent record against City.

The Gunners have lost their past seven games to Guardiola’s men, conceding 20 goals and scoring just twice.

Asked whether he was worried about the record, Arteta replied:

“Yes, but if I look at the trends as well before we played Liverpool, with the calendar year or the last two calendar years that they’ve had, you get depressed.

“What I need now is energy to transmit to my players, belief and it’s the FA Cup – we have a lot of experience here and we have a history related to that. Let’s go for it.

 The stats

• Arsenal have lost their past seven meetings with Manchester City in all competitions, by an aggregate score of 20-2. Only against Leeds have Arsenal ever lost more consecutive matches in their history (eight).
• Manchester City’s last defeat against Arsenal in all competitions was in an FA Cup semi-final, throwing away a 1-0 lead to lose 2-1 in 2017, with Arsenal going on to beat Chelsea in the final.
• This is just the fifth FA Cup meeting between City and Arsenal, with City winning the first in February 1904, and Arsenal winning the next three (March 1932, February 1971 and April 2017).

Arsenal

• Arsenal are playing in their 30th FA Cup semi-final – no side has played in more. They’ve reached the final on 20 occasions, which is also a joint record (level with Manchester United for both).
• Arsenal have beaten/eliminated the holders of the FA Cup each of the past five times they’ve faced them, and this is their first such match since the 2014 semi-final against Wigan Athletic.
• Four of Arsenal’s seven FA Cup goals this season have been scored by players under the age of 21 – the most of any side from the first round proper – Bukayo Saka (1), Eddie Nketiah (2), Reiss Nelson (1).

Manchester City

• Manchester City have won 10 of their past 12 FA Cup semi-final matches, with their two defeats in that time coming against Arsenal (1932 and 2017).
• Holders City are looking to reach the FA Cup final in consecutive years for the third time, also doing so in 1933-1934 and 1955-1956. They are unbeaten in their past nine matches at Wembley Stadium, last losing against Arsenal in the 2017 FA Cup semi-final.
• City’s Phil Foden has had a part in seven goals in just six FA Cup appearances (4 goals, 3 assists), averaging a goal involvement every 57 minutes in the competition.