Man City v Fulham – Preview, Predictions and Best Bets

Man City host Fulham in the English Premier League on Saturday. The hosts have won 22 of their last 27 league matches but have drawn their last two. The Cottagers sit sixth in the table with 11 points from six games. City have won their last 16 matches against Fulham.

Man City Form

City have lost just once since December 2023. In the league, they have won 22 of their last 27 matches, with five draws. They won their first four league matches this season as Erling Haaland scored nine goals. A 0-0 home draw against Inter Milan followed in the Champions League, despite producing 22 shots and 2.35 xG.

A last-gasp goal sealed a 2-2 home draw against ten-man Arsenal after they outshot the Gunners 28-1 in the second half. After beating Watford 2-1 in the Carabao Cup, they could only manage a 1-1 draw at Newcastle last weekend. In midweek, they won 4-0 at Slovan Bratislava, outshooting the Slovakians 28-3.

Man City Team News

Oscar Bobb and Nathan Ake remain out injured and will play no part. Rodri is out for the season, with Mateo Kovacic and Rico Lewis the options to play deeper in midfield.

Kevin De Bruyne remains absent. Pep Guardiola may consider starting Phil Foden in the league for the first time this season after his goal in midweek.

Man City Motivation

City need to get back to winning ways. More dropped points here would be a disaster.

Guardiola’s team selection will dictate their approach. If he leaves out dribblers like Foden, Doku, and Savinho, as he did last weekend, a slower and safer possession style is expected.

Fulham Form

Fulham won just two of their final nine league matches last term. This season began with a late 1-0 loss at Man Utd, but they have been unbeaten in five EPL matches since then. A 2-1 home win over Leicester was followed by a 1-1 draw away at Ipswich.

A 1-1 home draw against West Ham saw a 95th-minute goal conceded after having 21 shots and missing three big chances. They responded excellently by beating Newcastle 3-1 (22 shots, 2.29 xG, five big chances) before winning 1-0 at Nottingham Forest last weekend.

Fulham Team News

Carlos Vinicius is Marco Silva’s only absentee. The XI is expected to be unchanged from the win at Nottingham Forest. There’s a small chance that an extra defensive midfielder will be introduced into the lineup.

Sander Berge and Reiss Nelson will likely be on the bench, with Sasa Lukic and Adama Traore keeping their places. Raul Jimenez is set to lead the line in preference to Rodrigo Muniz.

Fulham Motivation

This match is a free hit for a confident Fulham side. They can afford to attack and look to spring a surprise.

A draw would be a great result on paper, but Marco Silva is not expected to settle for a point until the final 15 minutes.

Key Stats

Man City have won 22 of their last 27 league matches (5 draws)

Man City have conceded in their last 5 league matches

Man City have won 16 straight matches against Fulham (all competitions)

Fulham have lost just 1 of their last 6 away league matches (1 win in 15 away matches before that)

Fulham have scored 1 or fewer goals in 10 of their last 14 EPL matches

Manchester City have scored 2+ goals in their last 17 matches against Fulham (all competitions)

Verdict

The stats suggest a City win with 2+ goals scored, and possibly with Fulham nicking one at the other end. The hosts are not at their very best right now, so a one-goal margin of victory looks like a tempting bet.

Best Bet: Man City win and Over 2.5 goals at 1.62

High Value Bet: Man City to win by exactly 1 goal at 3.75

Goalscorer Tip: Erling Haaland to score the first/last goal at 1.71