Manchester City take on Fulham in the Premier League at the weekend and they will look to continue their impressive start to the season with a win at home.
They are second in the table after two successive draws and Manchester City will look to climb to the top of the table with a win. Manchester City have a formidable record against Fulham and they will be the favourites to win here.
Meanwhile, Fulham are sixth in the standings and they have made an impressive start to the season as well. They are unbeaten in five of the last six league games this season and they will look to pull off an upset here.
Fulham will need to be at their best in order to get something out of this contest. Manchester City have a formidable record against the London club and they are nearly impossible to beat at home.
Team News & Tactics
Manchester City
The home side will be without Rodri (ACL), Kevin De Bruyne (groin), Oscar Bobb (leg), and Nathan Ake (thigh).
Manchester City will shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation with Ederson Moraes in goal. Rico Lewis and Josko Gvardiol will be deployed as the full-backs and they will look to help out at both ends of the pitch. Manuel Akanji will start in central defence alongside Ruben Dias.
In the midfield unit, Ilkay Gundogan will start alongside John Stones in the pivot. The England international will look to protect the back four and break up the opposition attacks, and Gundogan will look to add creativity and control.
Phil Foden will be deployed in the attacking midfield role and he will look to create goalscoring opportunities with his passing and vision. Savinho and Jeremy Doku will be deployed in the wide areas here, with Erling Haaland leading the line.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Ederson; Lewis, Akanji, Dias, Gvardiol; Gundogan, Stones; Savinho, Foden, Doku; Haaland
Fulham
Carlos Vinicius is the only injury worry for Fulham here.
Fulham are likely to shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation with Bernd Leno in goal.
Tete and Antonee Robinson will be deployed as the full-backs. They will look to protect the side defensively and help out during transitions. Joachim Andersen will start alongside Calvin Bassey in central defence.
Sasa Lukic and Andreas Pereira will add defensive cover and creativity from the deep.
Emile Smith Rowe will start as the central attacking midfielder and he will look to open up the home defence with his passing and vision. Adama Traore will start in the wide areas along with Alex Iwobi. They will add pace and flair to the Fulham attack.
Raul Jimenez will lead the line for Fulham.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Leno; Tete, Andersen, Bassey, Robinson; Lukic, Pereira; Traore, Rowe, Iwobi; Jimenez
Key Stats
- Manchester City have won their last 16 matches against Fulham in all competitions.
- Manchester City have scored at least 2 goals in their last 17 matches against Fulham in all competitions.
- Manchester City are undefeated in their last 29 matches (Premier League).
- 24 goals have been scored in the last six meetings between these two sides.
- Both teams have scored in four of the last five matches between these two sides.
Player to watch out for
Erling Haaland
The Norwegian international is in phenomenal form right now and he is our key player to watch out for. He is in red-hot form right now and he will look to add to his goalscoring tally for the season. He has the quality to punish the Fulham defence here and Manchester City will expect him to step up and deliver here.
Haaland could cause all sorts of problems for the Fulham defence with his movement, link-up play, physicality, and finishing ability.
Prediction
Manchester City 3-1 Fulham
Both teams are in impressive form and this is likely to be an exciting contest. Neither side are expected to sit back and defend, and this could be an open game with a fair few chances.
Manchester City are the better team here and they should be able to grind out the win. However, a high-scoring game is on the cards here. Manchester City are formidable at home and they have a phenomenal record against Fulham. They should be able to extend that run.