Manchester City vs Fulham – News and Probable Lineups

Following their memorable victory at Anfield, Manchester City will seek to increase the pressure on their Premier League title challengers Arsenal as they host Fulham at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday evening.

This matchup comes just over two months after their previous exhilarating encounter at Craven Cottage, where the Citizens emerged victorious with a thrilling 5-4 scoreline.

Match overview

Manchester City was on the verge of being eliminated from the Premier League title race, trailing nine points behind leaders Arsenal, but Pep Guardiola’s side displayed true champion spirit by rallying back to secure a dramatic 2-1 win against Liverpool at a venue where they had previously triumphed only once in 10 matches under their Catalan manager.

Bernardo Silva’s late equalizer in the 84th minute was quickly followed by Erling Haaland’s penalty winner in the 93rd minute, allowing the Citizens to narrow the gap at the top to six points. A victory over Fulham could trim that lead to just three points before the Gunners face the in-form Brentford on Thursday.

Guardiola’s squad will appreciate returning to the Etihad, where they have amassed 44 points from a possible 51 in their last 17 Premier League home fixtures (W14 D2 L1) and are unbeaten in their past 11 home games (W9 D2), with only Sunderland (12) boasting a longer unbeaten streak at home.

Confidence will be high for Manchester City on Wednesday, as they have triumphed in their last 19 encounters against Fulham in all competitions and have claimed victory in all of their last 16 Premier League clashes with the Cottagers—these runs are the longest any team has had against another in the history of the English football league.

Moreover, the Citizens tend to excel in midweek matches at the Etihad, having not lost any of their last 55 Premier League home games played on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday (W47 D8) since a narrow 1-0 defeat to Tottenham back in May 2010.

Fulham finds itself among a group of Premier League clubs competing for European qualification as the season reaches its final stages, though a streak of three losses in their last four matches has hindered their chances for a top-seven finish.

The Cottagers secured a 2-1 victory over Brighton, sandwiched between narrow defeats to Leeds (1-0) and Manchester United (3-2), and they let a one-goal advantage slip in the last 15 minutes to fall 2-1 against Everton at home last weekend, with Bernd Leno’s own goal costing the West London team their 11th defeat of the season.

Head coach Marco Silva expressed disappointment over Fulham’s inability to be clinical in the final third and how they “stopped playing” against Everton in the second half after a strong first 45 minutes. As a result, the Cottagers have slipped to 10th place in the standings, four points behind seventh-placed Brentford.

A swift return to winning form could be challenging for Fulham, who have only achieved three victories in their 44 Premier League away games against teams that began the day in the top three (D9 L32), managing to beat Manchester United in October 2003, Tottenham in March 2013, and Chelsea in December 2024.

As a manager, Silva has not secured a single victory in all 13 of his top-flight matches against Manchester City, marking the most any manager has faced an opponent with a 100% loss record. Additionally, Fulham has lost each of their last eight league visits to Manchester’s blue side with an aggregate score of 25-4. However, three of their four Premier League victories against City have occurred at the Etihad.

Team News

Manchester City’s Jeremy Doku (calf), Savinho (unspecified), John Stones (fitness), Josko Gvardiol (tibial fracture) and Mateo Kovacic (ankle/heel) remain unavailable, while Abdukodir Khusanov will be evaluated after being substituted for concussion following the match against Liverpool.

Should Khusanov be deemed fit to feature, he is expected to partner Marc Guehi in central defence; however, Guardiola might opt to reinstate Ruben Dias, who came off the bench last time after missing the previous eight games due to injury.

Haaland has contributed to 10 goals in just seven Premier League outings against Fulham (seven goals, three assists) and could receive support from Antoine Semenyo, who has been involved in five goals over his last three Premier League appearances against the Cottagers (three goals, two assists), playing a part in all of Bournemouth’s goals during their 3-1 win earlier this season (two goals, one assist).

Both Semenyo and Omar Marmoush aided Haaland’s attack against Liverpool, but Guardiola may consider reinserting one or both of Rayan Cherki or Phil Foden on Wednesday, the latter having scored twice in the mentioned 5-4 victory for City at Craven Cottage.

As for Fulham, Sasa Lukic continues his recovery from a thigh injury, while skipper Tom Cairney missed the defeat against Everton with a calf problem and is uncertain for the trip to the Etihad.

Silva may contemplate some defensive alterations, with right-back Kenny Tete, centre-back Calvin Bassey, and left-back Antonee Robinson all pressing for a return in place of Timothy Castagne, Jorge Cuenca, and Ryan Sessegnon respectively.

January acquisition Oscar Bobb, signed from Manchester City for a reported £27m, made his debut as a substitute against Everton. The Norwegian winger is unlikely to usurp top scorer Harry Wilson—who has netted nine times this season—but could challenge Samuel Chukwueze’s starting position.

Manchester City probable starting XI:

Donnarumma; Nunes, Dias, Guehi, Ait-Nouri; Rodri, O’Reilly; Bernardo, Cherki; Semenyo, Haaland

Fulham probable starting XI:

Leno; Tete, Andersen, Cuenca, Robinson; Iwobi, Berge; Wilson, Smith Rowe, Chukwueze; Jimenez

If the earlier fixture is any indication, fans can expect another thrilling Premier League encounter this week, with both teams likely to employ an aggressive, offensive strategy.

Given Manchester City’s remarkable historical record against Fulham, their solid home performance, and the recent slump of the Cottagers, it’s difficult to see past the Citizens in this match. A home win with both teams finding the net seems probable.