According to Manchester City‘s manager Pep Guardiola, 21-year-old forward Nico O’Reilly is “fine” and ready to play against Arsenal on Sunday.
O’Reilly has shown impressive form, netting three goals in his last three matches for City, including a brace in last month’s Carabao Cup final against Arsenal and the opening goal in a 3-0 victory at Chelsea last weekend.
However, he was substituted in the 63rd minute during the match against Chelsea after appearing to hold his hamstring. Despite this, he was seen chatting and laughing with Guardiola before leaving the field, and later returned to join in the celebrations with fans at full-time.
Nico O’Reilly of Manchester City is expected to be fit for the match against Arsenal (John Walton/PA)
City’s win at Chelsea, coupled with Arsenal’s recent loss to Bournemouth, gives Guardiola’s team a chance to narrow the gap to three points in the Premier League standings with a home victory.
Guardiola acknowledged that the match against Arsenal feels monumental, stating that losing would make the title race “over” as it would leave them nine points behind. However, he emphasized that there are still games left in the season, with six fixtures remaining.
“If we lose, it is over,” Guardiola admitted. “But we still have many matches to play, including tough fixtures against teams like Everton and Aston Villa.”
Guardiola praised Arsenal, expressing admiration for their style of play under his former assistant Mikel Arteta. He mentioned that a draw could be a favorable result for Arsenal, considering their current top position in the league.
“Arsenal is strong in all departments, and it’s impressive to see them at the top of the Premier League and in the Champions League semi-finals,” he said. “It will require a perfect performance from us to secure victory against them. I know Mikel, and I expect them to adapt their strategy.”