Published: 20 September, 2012
IN THE GROVE with STEVE BARNETT

STRIKER Lukas Podolski is confident that Arsenal can get a result against Premier League champions Manchester City on Sunday, but is refusing to get dragged into any talk of winning the title.

The summer signing is enjoying a rich vein of form, scoring twice in the 6-1 win over Southampton on Saturday and on target again in Tuesday’s 2-1 win over Montpellier in the Champions League.

The Gunners’ unbeaten start to the new campaign has led to some observers tipping them as genuine title contenders but, with Sunday’s tricky fixture away at City, Podolski says such talk is premature.

“We have only played four matches. It’s too early to speak about the championship,” he told Arsenal Player.

“When you win a match, you are not a champion. When you lose a match, you are not a champion. We want to win all the matches we play and I think if we play the same as we did against Liverpool and Southampton then we have a chance at Man City to get the three points.”

Team-mate Mikel Arteta is hoping that the team can build on their run of three successive victories when they visit the Etihad Stadium at the weekend.

“City have not lost at home for a long time,” he said. “We must show our character. Last year we went there and were unlucky to lose. It will be tough, they’re the champions.”