Seeking to avoid going three consecutive Premier League games without a victory, champions Manchester City welcome Fulham to the Etihad Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
The two teams meet for the first time in nearly five months when the Citizens cruised to a 4-0 victory at Craven Cottage towards the end of last season.
Match preview
© Imago
After being held to their second successive Premier League draw by Newcastle United (1-1) last weekend, Manchester City bounced back with a totally dominant 4-0 win away against Slovan Bratislava in the Champions League on Tuesday night.
City had 28 attempts on goal, 73% possession and hit the woodwork three times in the first half of a one-sided contest, but goals from Ilkay Gundogan, Phil Foden, Erling Haaland and James McAtee - the latter scoring his first senior goal - eventually helped the Citizens pick up their first three points in the newly-expanded Champions League.
Manager Pep Guardiola believes that his team "are improving step-by-step" in how they attack and he was particularly pleased to see his squad come away from Slovakia unscathed, while a number of players also got valuable first-team minutes under their belts.
Man City have one final Premier League fixture at home to Fulham before the international break and they could slip four points behind leaders Liverpool if the Reds beat Crystal Palace in the early kickoff before Guardiola's men take on the Cottagers.
The reigning champions will fancy their chances of success on Saturday, as they have won each of their last 16 meetings with Fulham across all competitions - the longest winning run one team has had over another in English football league history. Should City merely avoid defeat, they would extend their remarkable unbeaten home record to 50 games.
© Imago
Fulham have made their best start to a Premier League season since 2003, accumulating 11 points from their opening six matches to help them rise to sixth in the table, just three points behind Man City in second.
Since losing to Manchester United on the opening weekend of the new season, the Cottagers have put together a five-game unbeaten run in the top flight, winning their last two matches against Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest.
Raul Jimenez scored his 50th Premier League goal and his third in as many games - netting from the penalty spot five minutes after half time - to help Fulham secure a slender 1-0 win at Forest last weekend.
However, the Mexican landed himself in hot water after he snatched the ball off teammate and designated penalty-taker Andreas Pereira, something that is "not going to happen again" under the tutelage of head coach Marco Silva, who has revealed that Jimenez has since apologised.
That incident has quickly been nipped in the bud by Fulham, who are now gearing up for a daunting trip to Man City this weekend. Having said that, the Cottagers have registered three of their four Premier League wins over the Citizens at the Etihad, most recently winning 3-1 in April 2009 under Roy Hodgson.
Team News
© Imago
Man City will be without Rodri (ACL) for the rest of the season, while Oscar Bobb (leg fracture), Nathan Ake (muscle) and Kevin De Bruyne (groin) are also in the treatment room, with the latter two set to target a return after the international break.
After making six changes in midweek, Guardiola is set to recall a few senior stars including goalkeeper Ederson and centre-back Ruben Dias, while Kyle Walker could return at right-back if Rico Lewis is deployed in midfield once again.
Mateo Kovacic, Bernardo Silva and Jack Grealish will all be pushing to start in midfield, while Haaland, who has scored five goals in just four Premier League games against Fulham, has been passed fit to play by Guardiola and is expected to lead the line.
As for the Cottagers, their only injury concerns are with striker Carlos Vinicius, who is nursing a "small injury to his calf", and defender Jorge Cuenca who remains out with an ankle problem.
Silva is unlikely to make too many changes, if any, to his starting lineup, with a back four of Kenny Tete, Joachim Andersen, Calvin Bassey and Antonee Robinson set to remain intact, protecting goalkeeper Bernd Leno.
Sander Berge and Harrison Reed will be pushing for a recall in midfield at the expense of Sasa Lukic, while Adama Traore - who scored twice for Wolverhampton Wanderers at the Etihad in 2019 - is set to keep Reiss Nelson waiting for a start on the right flank.
Manchester City possible starting lineup:
Ederson; Walker, Akanji, Dias, Gvardiol; Lewis, Kovacic; Bernardo, Foden, Grealish; Haaland
Fulham possible starting lineup:
Leno; Tete, Andersen, Bassey, Robinson; Berge, Pereira; Traore, Smith Rowe, Iwobi; Jimenez
We say: Manchester City 3-1 Fulham
Following a bright start to the campaign, Fulham cannot be taken lightly and Man City expert Steven McInerney from Esteemed Kompany has admitted that he is 'concerned' by how the threatening pace of the Cottagers' attackers could expose the hosts in transition.
Man City have conceded in each of their last five league games and their defence could be breached once again by an in-form Fulham outfit, but we are still backing Guardiola's men to outscore their opponents and extend their impressive winning streak against Silva's side.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Oliver Thomas
