Fulham will welcome league chasers Manchester City at Craven Cottage on Sunday afternoon as City look to win their fifth Premier League title.
Pep Guardiola’s side find themselves two points behind the Gunners with two games in hand, after they thrashed Arsenal on Wednesday.
Match Preview
Fulham are now statistically safe from the relegation zone despite a 1-0 defeat to Aston Villa on Tuesday and they can start planning for a new season.
Fulham have been victims of three promotions and two relegations in the last 5 years, they have seemingly adapted to the demands of the Premier League this time around.
After the club football resumed after the World Cup, the Cottagers looked set to challenge for European football as they won six wins in nine matches to climb as high as sixth in the table.
Their downturn coincided with Aleksandar Mitrovic’s eight-game ban for pushing referee Chris Kavanagh as he had contributed 11 goals in 21 league appearances prior to his suspension.
Manchester City’s clash with Arsenal was dubbed as the title decider but Guardiola’s men made it humiliating for the Gunners with a 4-1 victory in front of City fans at the Etihad Stadium.
Kevin De Bruyne scored a brace with John Stones and Erling Haaland scoring one apiece to ensure they close up the gap in the standings.
Manchester City have now won 12 of their last 13 matches in all competitions, scoring 45 goals along the way, with the only draw coming against Bayern Munich in the Champions League.
The league chasers Manchester City – carry a 17-match unbeaten streak into Sunday’s clash – winning 14 of those and drawing 3.
The Citizens are faced with an FA Cup final and also a Champions League semi-final showdown with Real Madrid – they are keen on a treble this season.
Fulham vs Manchester City Team News
Aleksandar Mitrovic, who is still on ban will be replaced by Daniel James in the attacked, while Manor Solomon is also expected to retain his place in the starting XI.
Layvin Kurzawa will be absent as he is sidelined with a knee injury, while Harry Wilson and Willian are doubts for Sunday’s clash, so it boils down to Bobby Decordova-Reid starting in the match.
Joao Palhinha will be in the midfield with Harrison Reed while Andreas Pereira will look to increase his goal tally.
Erling Haaland will continue to spearhead the attack for City having racked 49 goals in 43 games across all competitions this campaign.
Haaland will pair with Jack Grealish and Riyad Mahrez is expected to maintain the wings for Manchester City.
Phil Foden and Julian Alvarez are both fighting for their spot in the starting line-up and may have to settle for a substitute appearance this weekend.
Probable Line-Up
Fulham possible starting lineup:
Leno; Tete, Adarabioyo, Ream, Robinson; Reed, Palhinha; James, Pereira, Solomon; Decordova-Reid
Manchester City possible starting lineup:
Ederson; Akanji, Dias, Laporte; Stone, Rodri; Mahrez, De Bruyne, Gundogan, Grealish; Haaland
Fulham vs Manchester City Prediction
We predict Manchester City to secure an eighth successive Premier League victory at Fulham who have lost six of their last eight matches in all competitions.
Fulham will be hopeful of scoring on Sunday given that City have only managed to keep two clean sheets in their last 11 matches, but Haaland would not make it easy for the hosts.
We are predicting that Manchester City will win Fulham 3-1 – Who do you think will win the match? Share your thoughts with us via the comment section.
