Manchester City vs Fulham Preview: Probable Lineups, Prediction, Tactics, Team News & Key Stats

Manchester City will host Fulham in the Premier League on Saturday, look to continue their impressive start to the season.

Manchester City have picked up three wins from their three league games so far, and they will be looking to extend their winning streak with a comfortable result at home against Fulham on Saturday afternoon.

Pep Guardiola’s men have done quite well against Fulham in recent seasons, and the Manchester City manager will demand another statement performance from his players at the weekend.

Meanwhile, Fulham are 12th in the league table, and they are winless in their last two league games. They were held to a draw against Arsenal away from home and crashed to a defeat against Brentford at home prior to that.

The West Londoners will have to be at their best against the defending champions, and it remains to be seen whether they can pull off an upset here. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.

Team News & Tactics

Manchester City

Kevin De Bruyne and John Stones are ruled out with thigh injuries. Manuel Akanji has been unavailable due to an illness, but he is expected to return for this game. Pep Guardiola’s men are likely to shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Ederson Moraes in goal.

Kyle Walker and Josko Gvardiol will start as the full-backs, and they will look to help out going forward and protect the central defenders. Ruben Dias is likely to start alongside Nathan Ake at the heart of the Manchester City defence.

Rodri will start alongside Mateo Kovacic in the midfield pivot. While the Croat will look to control the tempo of the game, Rodri will be the defensive midfielder here. The Spanish international will look to break up the Fulham attack and set up counter-attacking opportunities. Meanwhile, new signing Matheus Nunes will miss out.

Phil Foden will start as the central attacking midfielder, and he will look to break the lines with his incisive passing and create goalscoring chances. Bernardo Silva and Jack Grealish will be the inverted attacking midfielders here, and they will drift out into the wide areas to add width and creativity to the side. Finally, Erling Haaland will lead the line for the hosts.

Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Ederson; Walker, Dias, Ake, Gvardiol; Rodri, Kovacic; Silva, Foden, Grealish; Haaland

Fulham

Sasa Lukic is ruled out with a knee injury for the visitors. Calvin Bassey will return from suspension here, and Tom Cairney could be back in action from his knee injury as well. Marco Silva’s men are likely to shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation. Bernd Leno is set to start in goal for the Londoners.

Kenny Tete and Antonee Robinson will be the full-backs here. They will look to keep the Manchester City playmakers quiet and protect the central defence. Issa Diop will start alongside Tim Ream at the back, and they will look to contain the in-form Erling Haaland.

Joao Palhinha has been touted to leave the club, although his move to Bayern Munich has collapsed. Nonetheless, Tom Cairney will start in the midfield double pivot alongside Harrison Reed.

Willian and Bobby De Cordova-Reid will start as the wingers here. They will look to set up counter-attacking opportunities against City. Andreas Pereira will look to link the midfield with the attack as the central attacking midfielder here. Finally, Raul Jimenez is set to lead the line.

Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Leno; Tete, Diop, Ream, Robinson; Cairney, Reed; Willian, Pereira, Cordova-Reid; Jimenez

Key Stats

• Manchester City have won their last 14 matches against Fulham in all competitions.
• Manchester City have won 15 of their last 17 matches in the Premier League.
• Manchester City have scored at least two goals in their last 15 matches against Fulham in all competitions.
• 20 goals have been scored in the last six matches between these two sides.

Player to Watch

Erling Haaland

The Norwegian has been unplayable since his move to England, and he has three goals in three league games. He will look to punish Fulham for their defensive vulnerabilities here. Haaland is our key man to watch out for as Manchester City look to send out a statement to their rivals with another win in the league.

Prediction

Manchester City 3-0 Fulham

The Premier League champions are the firm favourites heading into this game, and they should be able to bypass the Fulham defence with ease. The home side have too much firepower in their arsenal and they should pick up a comfortable win. A 3-0 win at home is on the cards for Pep Guardiola’s men.