Arsenal wanted to provoke Manchester City into a war during last weekend's Premier League clash but the champions are ready for the challenge, City manager Pep Guardiola said on Friday.
Manchester City midfielder Rodri will miss the rest of the season with a serious knee injury, dealing a huge blow to their hopes of winning a fifth straight Premier League title.
Sterling marked his maiden Arsenal start following his transfer deadline day move from Chelsea with a second-half strike in the third-round tie at the Emirates Stadium.
Mikel Arteta stood by Arsenal's defensive tactics in their explosive Premier League clash with Manchester City, saying he would have been "thick" not to learn from previous clashes.
But for much of Pep Guardiola's time in charge of City, it was Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool who were consistently their title rivals.
John Stones' 98th minute equaliser salvaged a 2-2 draw for Manchester City against 10-man Arsenal in a bad-tempered clash between the two favourites for the Premier League title on Sunday.
Spaniard Raya dived low to his right to beat out Mateo Retegui's spot kick in the 51st minute then sprang across his goal to claw away the forward's follow up header.
Arsenal players are unfazed by Manchester City striker Erling Haaland's goal-scoring rampage, midfielder Jorginho said vouching for the Gunners' confidence ahead of Sunday's Premier League clash with City.
The Gunners shrugged off the absence of key midfielders Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard to remain undefeated this season and close within two points of leaders Manchester City.
Mikel Arteta said Tuesday that Arsenal may have to win all of their nine remaining Premier League games if they are to be crowned champions as he prepares for the "most beautiful part of the season".
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola insisted his team are the ones to beat in the tightest Premier League race for years even though they remain third in the standings following a goalless draw with rivals Arsenal on Sunday.
Manchester City failed to break down Arsenal as a highly-anticipated clash at the top of the Premier League failed to live up to the hype in a 0-0 draw at the Etihad on Sunday.
Manchester City can set themselves up to succeed once again on multiple fronts and lift their confidence for the season's run-in with a win over title rivals Arsenal in Sunday's blockbuster Premier League clash, midfielder Rodri said.
Manchester City have been dealt a double injury blow as Kyle Walker and John Stones will miss Sunday's crucial clash in the Premier League title race against Arsenal.
Arsenal, Liverpool, and Manchester City are locked in a gripping Premier League title race heading into the final 10 games of the season for each club.
The Premier League returns this weekend after the final international break of the season, with a headline fixture on the cards as reigning champions Manchester City host Arsenal on Sunday.
With the season reaching its climax, the average goals per game currently stands at 3.24 compared to 2.85 last season, an increase of 13.7%. It is the biggest jump since 1925-26 when the offside rule was tweaked to favour attacking players.
Porto manager Sergio Conceicao said Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta insulted his family during the London club's penalty shootout win over the Portuguese side in their Champions League last-16 tie on Tuesday.
"A magic night. We expected a really tough opponent. It's very difficult to generate momentum and that's credit to (Porto)," Arteta told reporters.