Mikel Arteta is set to face the press ahead of Arsenal’s Premier League clash with Manchester City in the Emirates on New Years Day.

The Gunners enter the game without their manager on the sideline after it was confirmed earlier this week that Arteta tested positive for COVID-19 for the second time.

Several coaches who have been hit by the virus appear to be adding to the growing roster of players who saw Cedric, Takehrio Tomiyasu, Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Calum Chambers all miss the 5-0 win over Norwich on Boxing Day.

However, Arsenal will be hoping for a first Premier League victory against City since 2015, as they enter the game in great shape after winning their last five matches, scoring 19 goals in the process.

All this happened without captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang who will be absent again for Saturday’s match after having benefited from a special exemption to leave earlier to join Gabon’s preparation for CAN after being stripped of the club captaincy earlier this month.

You can follow every word Mikel Arteta has to say to the press on all of these topics with football.londonGunners writers Kaya Kaynak and Chris Wheatley in the live blog below.