Rodri was a teammate of Thomas Partey at Atletico Madrid before he secured a move to Manchester City.
Partey joined him in the Premier League this season and they will start facing each other from opposing dressing rooms.
Ahead of Sunday’s game, Rodri spoke about the Ghanaian who he called a funny teammate.
Partey will miss the game this weekend through injury, but there are sure to be more duels between both teams that should see them take to the field against each other soon.
Rodri recalls partnering the Arsenal man in midfield and says he has good memories of them together.
He then adds that they have a good friendship and he is looking forward to seeing his former teammate again.
He also backed Partey to become an important player for Arsenal, even though his first season has been disrupted by injuries.
“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.”
Injury has not allowed Partey to settle into a nice rhythm this season and the Gunners will be keen to have him back fit for a longer period when he plays again.