Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger is determined to attack Manchester City instead of defending deep against Pep Guardiola’s unbeaten side.

Wenger’s men are unbeaten in five matches but not many outside North London expect the side who sit fifth to pick up three points against the Premier League leaders.

If former Barcelona boss Guardiola’s Etihad outfit win in the Sunday’s clash at the Etihad they could go eight points clear in the Premier League.

They have already notched 35 league goals in only ten matches and approach the fixture with great confidence after an impressive 4-2 victory against Serie A leaders in Naples in the Champions League this week.

The Gunners are massive underdogs going into the fixture, trailing the league leaders by nine points, with 10 games played thus far in the campaign.

Wenger, whose side have only won a single Premier League away match this term – 5-2 against a poor Everton side in Ronald Koeman’s last match in charge at Goodison Park – is adamant his team will attack despite three defeats and a draw that have seen Arsenal stutter in their attempts to break back into the top four this term.

Wenger said: “Of course we will try to play our game. We will not hide when we go there, we want to defend well but you cannot go there and only be focused on just defending. We want as well to play, have the ball and create dangerous situations. The best way to defend sometimes is to attack.

“When you want to play football, you have to accept the risk and you have to play. If you want to play football, when you walk out on the pitch you have to accept the gamble and the risk. It is part of the game. After, you have to rate the risk. Is it a bigger risk only to defend than to attack if a team is very strong in attack? Maybe it is a bigger risk only to defend.”

The Gunners will be without David Ospina, Shkodran Mustafi, Calum Chambers and Danny Welbeck for the fixture, with all four expected to be back after the international break. Sead Kolasinac, who had to come off against Swansea with a groin problem, would require a further test at the end of the week and Wenger revealed that his issue was not as bad as first feared.