Man City vs Fulham Premier League preview, team news and prediction

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Buoyed by their dramatic victory at Anfield, Manchester City will look to ramp up the pressure on Premier League title rivals Arsenal when they host Fulham at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday night. This match comes just over two months after the two sides played out a thrilling nine-goal encounter at Craven Cottage, which City edged 5-4.

City were just minutes away from seeing their title hopes all but dashed and falling nine points behind Arsenal, but Pep Guardiola’s side showed their championship mettle by coming from behind to secure a crucial 2-1 win over Liverpool. Bernardo Silva’s 84th-minute equaliser and Erling Haaland’s stoppage-time penalty turned the game on its head, cutting the gap at the top to six points. Victory over Fulham would see City close to within three points of Arsenal before the Gunners travel to face an in-form Brentford side on Thursday.

Returning to the Etihad will be a welcome boost for Guardiola’s men, who have amassed 44 points from a possible 51 in their last 17 Premier League home matches and are unbeaten in their last 11 home league games. Only Sunderland, with a 12-match run, currently boast a longer unbeaten home streak.

City have every reason to be confident, having won each of their last 19 meetings with Fulham in all competitions and all of their last 16 Premier League encounters with the Cottagers—both records are the longest winning runs one English league club has ever had against another. Furthermore, City are unbeaten in their last 55 Premier League home matches played on a Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday (47 wins, 8 draws), a streak dating back to a 1-0 defeat to Tottenham in May 2010.

Fulham, meanwhile, are among several teams chasing European qualification as the season enters its final third, but a run of three defeats in their last four games has dented their top-seven ambitions. The Cottagers managed a 2-1 win over Brighton, sandwiched between narrow losses to Leeds and Manchester United, before surrendering a lead to lose 2-1 at home to Everton last weekend—an own goal from Bernd Leno sealing their 11th defeat of the season.

Head coach Marco Silva expressed frustration over his side’s lack of cutting edge and their inability to maintain their first-half dominance against Everton, lamenting that Fulham “stopped playing” in the second half. As a result, Fulham have slipped to 10th in the table, four points adrift of seventh-placed Brentford.

A quick return to form will be no easy task for Fulham, who have won only three of their 44 Premier League away games against teams sitting in the top three at kick-off - with those rare victories coming against Manchester United in 2003, Spurs in 2013, and Chelsea in December 2024.

Marco Silva’s personal record against Manchester City offers little encouragement, as he has lost all 13 of his top-flight encounters with them—the most matches any manager has lost to a single opponent with a 100% defeat rate. Fulham have also lost their last eight league visits to the Etihad conceding 25 goals in the process, though it is worth noting that three of their four Premier League wins over City have come on Manchester soil.

No surprises in this tie as City go into this match as the bookies favourite with William Hill pricing Guardiola's side at 4/11 odds-on to secure all three points and maintain their impressive head-to-head record against Fulham. Meanwhile, the visitors are priced at 13/2 to put an end to that run at the Etihad Stadium whereas a draw is 4/1 too.

Manchester City remain without Jeremy Doku (calf), Savinho (undisclosed), John Stones (fitness), Josko Gvardiol (tibial fracture), and Mateo Kovacic (ankle/heel), all of whom are still sidelined. Abdukodir Khusanov will be assessed after being substituted for concussion protocol during the Liverpool match. If Khusanov is cleared to play, he is expected to partner Marc Guehi at centre-back, although Pep Guardiola could opt to bring Ruben Dias back into the starting lineup after his substitute appearance last time out, following an eight-game injury absence.

Erling Haaland boasts an impressive record against Fulham, having contributed to 10 goals in just seven Premier League appearances against them (seven goals, three assists). He could be supported up front by Antoine Semenyo, who has been directly involved in five goals in his last three league outings against the Cottagers (three goals, two assists), including two goals and an assist in Bournemouth’s 3-1 win earlier this season. Both Semenyo and Omar Marmoush featured alongside Haaland against Liverpool, but Guardiola may consider recalling Rayan Cherki or Phil Foden for Wednesday’s match. Foden, notably, scored twice in City’s recent 5-4 win at Craven Cottage.

On the Fulham side, Sasa Lukic remains out with a thigh injury, while captain Tom Cairney is still unavailable due to a calf problem that kept him out of the Everton defeat. Marco Silva may look to shake up his defensive line, with Kenny Tete, Calvin Bassey, and Antonee Robinson all pushing for recalls in place of Timothy Castagne, Jorge Cuenca, and Ryan Sessegnon, respectively.

January signing Oscar Bobb, who joined Fulham from Manchester City for a reported £27 million, made his debut as a substitute against Everton. While the Norwegian winger is unlikely to displace top scorer Harry Wilson—who has netted nine goals this season—he could provide competition for Samuel Chukwueze’s place in the starting eleven.

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