Pep Guardiola called on Mikel Arteta to stop fuelling speculation around Manchester City as he declared the club ready to accept Arsenal's challenge of a 'war'.
Bad blood has swirled between the Etihad and the Emirates since Sunday's bad-tempered affair that saw Arsenal director Tim Lewis leave his seat without shaking hands with his City counterparts.
Arsenal have not enjoyed being tagged as masters of the dark arts this week, a phrase that John Stones agreed with in his post-match comments.
Guardiola spoke warmly of Arteta after City's Carabao Cup win over Watford, explaining that he had exchanged messages with his friend after the game and flatly denying the idea that Arsenal's players had targeted Rodri.
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