Arsenal will not spend "one second" thinking about playing for a draw against Premier League title rivals Manchester City on Sunday, insists Mikel Arteta.

The Gunners hold a six-point advantage over Pep Guardiola's side at the summit ahead of their gigantic clash at the Etihad Stadium, though City have a game in hand.

That means if City win this weekend, they will have an opportunity to go top of the table before Arsenal next play, given they face Burnley in their game in hand on Wednesday.

According to the Opta supercomputer, Arsenal currently have an 85.7% chance of winning the title, with City's hopes standing at 14.3%.

Should Arsenal win Sunday's game, the supercomputer's forecast would tip to a 98% chance of them ending their 22-year wait to be crowned champions of England.

They would remain favourites even with a City victory, but at a far lower 69%, while a draw would lift the Gunners' chances slightly, to 89%.

With that in mind, many have asked whether they could play for a draw. In a similar situation in 2023-24, Arsenal shut up shop for a 0-0 stalemate at the Etihad that was celebrated as a potentially crucial result, only for City to overtake them anyway.

Asked if he would take a draw, Arteta told reporters: "We're not going to spend one second talking about that. 

"We prepare every game to win, that's where we are and we're going to continue to do the same.

"I know there are six games to go. Obviously, it's a really important one for both teams and it will incline the balance a little bit. 

"Winning a game in the Premier League is so tough for everybody, so after this one, there will still be difficult matches for all of us, and we'll have to wait and continue whatever happens."

Ahead of Wednesday's 0-0 Champions League draw with Sporting CP, which inched Arsenal into the semi-finals as 1-0 aggregate winners, Arteta said he and his players were "on fire" amid external criticism of their style of play.

And reports on Friday claimed Arteta had taken that phrase a step further by lighting an actual fire during a training session.

Arteta did not deny the stunt, saying: "Every game, we use different themes to try to prepare in the best possible way and that depends on what we do. The best ones are the players' initiatives. Those are the ones I love the most."

But the Arsenal boss has a major selection dilemma in attack, with Bukayo Saka still absent due to a lower leg injury and backup right winger Noni Madueke also a doubt.

"Bukayo is out, that's for sure. The rest... let's see," Arteta said. "We have another training session. [Madueke] didn't look that bad after the game, and he was quite positive. 

"He's a player who pushes through pain, so I'm hopeful that he can be available, but we have to wait and see if he's able to train [on Saturday]."