Nico O’Reilly is expected to be available when Manchester City host Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday, after Pep Guardiola said the young defender was “fine” following the weekend win over Chelsea.
O’Reilly came off early in City’s three-goal win at Stamford Bridge last weekend, but Guardiola said there was no concern about his fitness for the Premier League meeting that could shape the title race.
City go into the game six points behind Arsenal, though they have a match in hand, and Guardiola can name an unchanged XI from the side that beat Chelsea. That matters because City have fewer injury problems than Arsenal, but the absences they do have are clustered in defense, with Rúben Dias, John Stones and Joško Gvardiol all still out.
The bigger question is whether Guardiola resists the urge to tinker. He has often altered his team for major occasions, yet the evidence from Stamford Bridge points the other way: City looked sharp, controlled and ruthless, and there is a strong case for leaving that winning formula alone against the Premier League leaders.
For O’Reilly, the immediate concern has passed. For City, Sunday offers a chance to cut Arsenal’s lead and do it without changing much at all.
