Fulham’s winger Willian has praised Manchester City as ‘the team in the world’ and cautioned his teammates that only a ‘flawless’ performance will suffice to spring a surprise on Saturday.
Pep Guardiola’s formidable squad is a mere three wins away from securing an extraordinary fourth consecutive Premier League crown.
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Despite their tenure as European champions concluding last month with a penalty shootout loss to Real Madrid, City is still considered the benchmark in both domestic and international competitions.
Arsenal, one of Willian’s ex-clubs, will be keenly observing the proceedings at Craven Cottage with vested interest, knowing that any misstep by City could pivot the title race back in their favor.
The likelihood of Fulham causing an upset seemed slim earlier this week when videos surfaced of their players leisurely flying kites at Motspur Park training grounds.
Nonetheless, seasoned winger Willian insists that his team is committed to approaching their last home match with the utmost seriousness, aiming to cap off a commendable season on a triumphant note.
He said: ‘It’s always good to play against the big teams, especially City who are – for me – the best team in the world,’ he said. ‘It’s going to be a difficult one for us, of course, but it’s always a pleasure to play these kinds of games, for sure.
‘To beat them, you need to be perfect. In every moment of the game, in every aspect of the game. If you sleep for five seconds, they can kill us. I think it will be a great game to play.
‘We respect them a lot, as I said they’re the best team in the world, but we cannot be afraid to play against them. We need to go there Saturday and try our best to win the game.
‘We have examples – we played against two big teams and beat them at home. And now we have another opportunity to do the same.
‘Of course, it will be a tough one, a tough game to play, but I think together we can do something special.’
On the prospect of helping Arsenal, he said: ‘To be honest, I don’t think about helping Arsenal, or any other club,” he explained. “We have to think about us, to do the best game that we can do on Saturday.
‘We have two games left and we have to fight for the points, but for me personally I don’t think about any other situation, any other club. I think about myself and my club.’
