Mikel Arteta said facing his former teammate Andoni Iraola is a privilege as he goes head-to-head with the new Liverpool boss at Anfield on Sunday.

The pair are from the Basque region and grew up playing for youth side Antiguoko in San Sebastien.

Iraola, who has come up against Mikel on six occasions while at Bournemouth, took charge of Liverpool in the summer and ahead of their showdown on Merseyside, Mikel spoke about their relationship.

"It’s a privilege," he said in his press conference. "Someone who has been your teammate, that you spent so many beautiful moments together when we were younger. To be facing each other, to be close, massive clubs in this country, in Europe, in a big match like this, it’s a blessing.

"I think all the top clubs are certainly title challengers, and it’s so early in the season, when you look at the squad, the manager that they have and the history for sure, that is. We expect a big game on Sunday; we’re looking forward to it for sure. It’s been 14 years since we last won there, so it’s time to do it."

September 2012 was the last time we triumphed at Anfield in the Premier League; Mikel played in midfield as we won 2-0.

So how do we go about changing that record? Mikel had his say: "It’s an opportunity. I came here [to Arsenal] and in many places we were 20, 22 years, 18 years without winning, and we’ve been doing all these things, so on Sunday, that’s the opportunity that we have.

"We're going there with full conviction; that's number one, and we've been very, very close in the last few years to win. But something is missed, and that's what we've been discussing the last few days. To go there with a real purpose. To hurt them and get away from there with a victory."