Fulham v Manchester City: The opposition

Manchester City face Fulham on Saturday lunchtime in search of the three points that will send them to the summit of the Premier League. The Blues can go top of the league for at least 24 hours if they beat Fulham at Craven Cottage and will remain there if Arsenal fail to beat United at Old Trafford.

The Blues are still a point behind the Gunners but have a game in hand against Spurs next week. Victory in City’s last three games will guarantee them the league title regardless of what Arsenal achieve.

City’s latest hurdle is a tough game against the Cottagers, who are looking for a top-ten finish in their second season in the Premier League, which will at least equal their position in the last year.

Form

Fulham have had a very mixed season. They spent some time playing very well and other times abysmal. Their current form has seen the Cottagers win five of their seventeen games in 2024, three of which have been at home. Their last win at Craven Cottage was a 3-0 victory over Spurs in mid-March and since then, they have lost two and drawn one of their next three home games.

On the bright side for Fulham, they have won more than they have lost at home this season. Nine wins and seven defeats from 18 games isn’t a bad return and they’ve only drawn two at home all season – only Spurs perhaps better than not having drawn a single one in north London so far. London rivals Arsenal have only drawn two at home.

Fulham have also scored 31 goals at home and conceded 21 so far. They have kept six clean sheets and have also failed to score in their home games six times. In the current table, Fulham beat Arsenal and Spurs, but lost to Liverpool, Aston Villa and Newcastle. They were also beaten by strugglers Burnley and United at Craven Cottage.

Danger Men

Rodrigo Muniz is Fulham’s top scorer this season with ten goals to his name. Bobby De Cordova-Reid has seven, while Alex Iwobi has scored six times. Ex-Chelsea star Willian and ex-Wolves striker Raúl Jiménez have five each, so they are not short of goals.

Muniz and Willian have the lowest goal conversion rates at just 15%, while de Cordova-Reid has an impressive 25%. Muniz has attempted the most shots (67) and his last home goal came in a 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace in April.

Andreas Pereira is the main threat in midfield. The former Stretford Ranger created 90 chances for his teammates, with eight being taken. Harry Wilson has seven and Antonee Robinson is credited with six assists. Robinson is also Fulham’s master passer, attempting 1,805 and completing 1,355, giving him a pass accuracy rating of 75%.

However, the Blues will have to be wary of Tom Cairney. The Scotland international has four assists but, at 90%, has the highest passing accuracy of the entire Fulham side.

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Former Hull, Watford and Everton boss Marco Silva has taken over at Fulham in 2021 after the Cottagers suffered relegation from the Premier League. His impact was immediate and Fulham returned to the Premier League at the first attempt.

Silva has a decent record at Craven Cottage. He presided over 138 matches, winning 62 and losing 47, giving him a winning percentage of 45%.

Last Time Out

The two sides last met in the league in September, when City won 5-1 thanks to a second-half hat-trick from Erling Haaland. Last season at Craven Cottage, a Haaland penalty after three minutes put City ahead, before Carlos Vinicius equalized for the hosts in the 15th minute, Julian Alvarez put City back ahead in the 36th minute, which was enough to the blue ones to take home. the three points.