Arsenal get key fitness boost as Man City dealt huge blow for title showdown

In partnership with

Evening Standard

·17. April 2026

Arsenal get key fitness boost as Man City dealt huge blow for title showdown

Gunners have influential star available for potentially season-defining trip to the Etihad Stadium

Declan Rice has allayed any concerns over his fitness ahead of Arsenal’s crunch Premier League title showdown with Manchester City, who are set to be without Ruben Dias again.

OneFootball Videos

The Gunners midfielder started last weekend’s shock 2-1 home defeat by Bournemouth and played 90 minutes, but was then considered a key doubt for the Champions League quarter-final second-leg decider against Sporting on Wednesday night due to a bout of illness.

However, Rice shrugged that off to once again feature for the full game at the Emirates Stadium, continuing to lead Arsenal with both usual skipper Martin Odegaard and vice-captain Bukayo Saka currently sidelined through injury.

The England star has now confirmed that he is not suffering from any lingering effects ahead of Sunday’s high-profile trip to the Etihad Stadium, which is likely to have a massive say on the destination of this season’s top-flight title.

“I'm fully fit," Rice told Sky Sports. “Yes, I've been ill. I've been in bed, not well. To get out against Sporting, obviously, I perked up in the morning enough to be able to play.

“I wasn't at 100 per cent, but to help this team out, no way I was missing a quarter-final to try and get to a semi-final. I was well enough to be able to go out there and play.

“But, yes, it's just a little illness and I'm over it now and on to Sunday.”

Recovery: Declan Rice shrugged off illness to captain Arsenal against Sporting

Getty

Rice called for Arsenal to make a “massive statement” against City after their recent wobble, insisting there was “fire in the stomach to eradicate” the pain caused by last month’s 2-0 Carabao Cup final defeat by the same opponents at Wembley.

Manager Mikel Arteta will give a new team news update on the likes of Saka, Odegaard, Noni Madueke, Jurrien Timber, Riccardo Calafiori and Mikel Merino when he conducts his pre-City press conference at London Colney on Friday afternoon.

Pep Guardiola will do likewise, though it has been reported that City will remain without first-choice centre-back Ruben Dias due to an ankle injury sustained in the Champions League last-16 second-leg loss to Real Madrid last month that has seen him miss key games against Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea.

Carabao Cup final hero Nico O’Reilly went off against Chelsea last week with a hamstring problem, while John Stones has yet to return from his calf issue and fellow defender Josko Gvardiol is still recovering from a broken leg.