Mikel Arteta said Manchester City are "without a doubt" in contention to win the Premier League ahead of their clash at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.
Arteta is bidding to steer Arsenal to back-to-back victories against City for the first time in a decade following their 5-1 thrashing of Pep Guardiola's side in February.
City finished third last season and have already tasted defeat twice so far this term to leave them nine points behind Liverpool following the unblemished opening to their title defence.
But when asked if City are still in the race to dethrone Arne Slot's side, Arteta, who was Guardiola's assistant at the Etihad Stadium for three years, replied: "Without a doubt.
"Knowing Pep really, and the demands he puts on his players, the mentality they have in the football club, the squad and the players that they have, I think so for sure.
"What Pep's already done in this league is unprecedented, the level that he's put into the standard of this league is, in my opinion, unprecedented, and maintaining those levels for 10 years is already something incredible, and the demands are there for him and he wants to carry on because he believes that he can do it again."
Arteta's side finished runners-up to City for two consecutive years and last season's fixtures between the two sides were mired in controversy.
Erling Haaland urged Arteta to "stay humble" following a 2-2 draw at the Etihad before Myles Lewis-Skelly imitated the striker's celebration when he scored in Arsenal's triumph at the Emirates.
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Arsenal are bidding to end a 22-year wait for a league title, and Arteta knows that a win against City will send out a statement that his players can take the fight to Liverpool this term.
Arsenal are on a five-game unbeaten run against City, and Arteta admitted: "Winning those matches creates that conviction that you can go and win the game but not against them, against any opposition.
"That's the feeling I have now with the team and the players individually that we go to Sunday and we are there to win the game, and creating another good moment for us. The consistency, competing against one of the best teams in the world, and a good test for us to see our level.
"We've had two very important wins [since the international break], very good feeling about the games, too, and we're preparing for a big match for Sunday."