After surrendering a lead at the top of the Premier League table to finish second behind Manchester City for the second year in a row last season, Arsenal are aiming to end the dominance of Pep Guardiola's side this time around.

Despite the strength of Mikel Arteta's team, ex-Manchester United star Neville says failure to land a major trophy will see them consigned to "nearly men", as he challenged them to earn a "statement win" against City on Sunday.

"If this superb Arsenal team doesn’t win the Premier League or the Champions League then they can forget about going down in history. That’s harsh but the reality of elite sport," he wrote in newsletter for The Overlap. "No one will fondly recall the magnificence of William Saliba and Gabriel at the back, the brilliance of Martin Odegaard and Declan Rice, David Raya’s extraordinary saves or the incision of Bukayo Saka up front. There will be no Netflix documentaries. They will never be feted or admired. They will be dismissed as nearly men."

Neville added: "History is unforgiving of those who fall just short. And that’s why, for all the excellent work they’ve done in the past two years, there is still a step to take. We’re too early in the season to describe Sunday’s clash with Manchester City at the Etihad as a title decider. Yet Arsenal need a statement win because they need to damage Manchester City and to demonstrate to themselves that they are the team of the moment."

The Gunners sit two points behind reigning champions City after four Premier League games, with the two teams going head-to-head at Etihad Stadium on Sunday.