Manchester City star Rodri says that Thomas Partey will be a "very important player" for Arsenal, and that he is hoping to see his old Atletico Madrid teammate again.
The Gunners welcome the Premier League leaders to the Emirates Stadium on Sunday, hoping for a win that could see them leapfrog rivals Spurs in the table.
However, Pep Guardiola's side stand in their way, and are on a dominant run of form. City are unbeaten in 24 games, with their last defeat coming against Tottenham back in November.
City have already visited the Emirates this season, running out 4-1 winners in the Carabao Cup in December, and Mikel Arteta will be hoping for better from his side this time out.
One of the players unavailable for that game was midfielder Partey, and the 27-year-looks set to miss this weekend's clash.
Partey is still struggling with a thigh injury that saw him miss the midweek trip to face Benfica in the Europa League.
Partey was signed from Atletico Madrid at the end of the summer transfer window, a year after Rodri made his £62.8million move to City.
And the Spanish midfielder says he got on well with the Arsenal midfielder, who will be a "very important player" for the North London side.
"I have good memories of playing with Thomas - we played a lot of games together," Rodri told Sky Sports.
"We controlled the midfield of the team in that season. He's two years older than me, but we're a similar age and he's a very funny guy. We had a good friendship so it's good to see your old team-mates again.
"Let's see if he's ready for Sunday, but he will be a very important player for Arsenal."
