'Oh my god' - Pep Guardiola outlines big Man City selection 'problem' amid sparkling Sunderland verdict

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has delivered a glowing verdict on Sunderland ahead of the two sides meeting in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon - as well as admitting that he faces a selection “problem” heading into the weekend.

Guardiola’s men just about hung on to secure a 5-4 victory away at Fulham on Tuesday evening, racing into a 5-1 lead before almost squandering it entirely in the second half. That result leaves City second in the table, two points behind Arsenal, who play Brentford on Wednesday.

For their part, Sunderland travel to Anfield to face Liverpool this evening, before testing their mettle with an unenviable trip to the Etihad Stadium a few days later. And with that in mind, Guardiola was sure to reserve high praise for the Black Cats during his post-match press conference at Craven Cottage in midweek.

What did Man City boss Pep Guardiola say about Sunderland ahead of Premier League clash?

Speaking in West London, Guardiola initially assessed his side’s nervy win over Fulham, stating: “I know you’re going to ask what happened, but I don’t have an answer. Football is emotion - all the goals were bad defending, we got so deep to defend these kinds of crosses, we have to occupy the spaces a bit better.

“But we made incredible things today because I know how difficult [Fulham are] - the way we defend and the other ones. But after that Erling [Haaland] had to make the 6-3 but hit the post and immediately it was 5-4. When that happens it’s a question of survive. Don’t tell me how, we need a bit of luck and at the end we take it.”

Guardiola then went on to address Sunderland’s trip to Manchester on Saturday, highlighting in particular his perceived lack of options at the base of midfield. He said: "We have a problem. We have three holding midfielders and two injuries for a long time. Rodri will be back soon but Kova will be later. We don't have anyone and today we prove it. I have to think about it.

"Maybe Nico O'Reilly can play there and Rayan Ait-Nouri or Nathan can play left-back. Tijjani [Reijnders] can play but he's more a player for attacking positions, his position is where he scored the goal where he can be unstoppable in pockets. We have to find something."

The Echo has launched a new WhatsApp SAFC Channel to bring the latest news, analysis and team & injury updates direct to your phone. Simply click this link to join our SAFC WhatsApp channel.

He continued: "Arsenal have to play tomorrow, they are so strong and so solid. We have to put in our mindset that it will be difficult but at the same time the Premier League is so long. I am the oldest manager in the Premier League and have enough experience to make a long run to try to fight to win the Premier League. It is so long.

"Chelsea impress me more and more every day with Enzo [Maresca], it’s long. Many things will happen. We won six Premier Leagues, four or five when we were in January or February we were behind. The team who wins the Premier League is the team who grow during the months and this is what we try to do.”

Focusing in on Sunderland, he added: "If we push, we will be better and push ourselves and control the situations better. We’ll see what happens now against Sunderland. I saw the game against Fulham and oh my god now I understand why Sunderland are in the position they are. They are so incredible, they are top. But with the problems that we had and many good things, we are in a better position than last year, we are a bit closer and we continue."

Your next Sunderland read: Sunderland's greatest ever Premier League XI - as voted for by the fans