Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard admits he looks up to Kevin de Bruyne ahead of tonight's showdown with Manchester City.

At their best, the Arsenal of this season have resembled the vintage City of recent ones and listening to Odegaard describe the intensity with which Mikel Arteta has driven his team to this point, one hears echoes of various Pep Guardiola acolytes.

“You see the energy he puts into it and how much passion he shows, how important it is to him," Odegaard told the London Evening Standard. “You always have to be on your toes, you have to be at your best. It's not just in the games, it's every day in training. Everyone has to be so sharp and that comes from the environment he has created."

The relationship between the managers means stylistic parallels are drawn easily enough and Odegaard has himself earned favourable comparisons with De Bruyne, City's outstanding creative force.

“He's someone I've watched a lot. We play in the same position and he's one of the best in the world, if not the best, so it's good to try and learn a little bit," the Norwegian says. “But I think we're quite different as well."