Manchester City midfielder Nico O’Reilly is aiming to right the wrongs of the last trip to Wembley Stadium
Growing up, Nico O’Reilly followed Manchester City closely. Whenever he could get a ticket, the future star was in the stands supporting the Blues. When he couldn’t, like for City’s major cup finals at Wembley Stadium, O’Reilly was glued to the TV screens as his team became the dominant force in English football.
On Sunday, O’Reilly will likely be in the XI as City look to win the first major trophy of the season and land an important blow on Arsenal in the process. “[I’m] really looking forward to it,” he said. “Wembley is a special place. I’ve played there a few times – Community Shield we won, FA Cup we didn’t win. So, yeah, it’d be nice to go there and hopefully win.”
“We know how good they are,” O’Reilly said when asked about the Gunners. “We know it’s going to be difficult. They’ve been very good this season. But we look forward to big games and it should be a good one. They play a bit different to us. They’ve got some amazing players, individual players, they play well as a team, they know what they’re doing.
Get MEN Premium now for just £1 HERE – or get involved in our City WhatsApp group by clicking HERE. You can also join our City Facebook page by clicking HERE and don’t miss out on our brilliant selection of newsletters HERE.
“So it’s going to be a tough game. We know that. But it’ll be a tough game for them as well. We’re looking forward to it.”
Mikel Arteta’s side have been synonymous with set pieces this season and have faced criticism for their approach. But O’Reilly hopes his team can draw on past experience to keep the Gunners out.
“It’s a strong point in their team. They use them very well,” he said. “”We need to prepare for it. We did it in the game when we went to their place. I thought we were very good then.
“We just need to prepare for it well and stop them as much as possible. They’re very good at set-pieces, they’re aggressive. They have good takers.
“When it’s a corner, obviously, we don’t want to be in those situations because we know how good they are but we’ll obviously need to deal with it and prepare well for it.”
Buy Carabao Cup Final VIP tickets

The Carabao Cup Final will see Arsenal v Manchester City at London’s Wembley Stadium this March.
O’Reilly signed a new contract at City in September last year, keeping him at the Etihad Stadium until 2030. That was a huge milestone for the 20-year-old who has become one of City’s most versatile players. The midfielder’s family are his biggest supporters, attending every match and keeping him grounded along the way. O’Reilly has not forgotten his roots either. He lived in Collyhurst in the east side of Manchester and has the city’s area code ‘0161’ tattooed on him.
“It’s me, really, like how I became who I am today,” O’Reilly concluded. “Growing up there, I really enjoyed it. I used to go out, play football every day with my friends. It was a good place to grow up. I recently moved away from there but it was a great place. I’m still with my family, which is good. They’re there to look after me a bit and still support me. I enjoy it.”







You must be logged in to post a comment Login