Fulham vs Manchester City, Premier League Matchday 31: Team News, Preview and Prediction

Competition/Round: 2018/19 English Premier League Season – Matchday 31

Date/Time: Fulham vs Manchester City – Saturday, 30 March 2019, 12:30 (UK); 08:30 EST, 05:30 PST (USA)

Venue: Craven Cottage, Fulham, England, United Kingdom

Match Officials:

Referee: Kevin Friend

Assistants: Matthew Wilkes, Darren Cann

Fourth Official: Roger East

TV Info: Sky Sports Premier League (UK); NBCSN (USA)

Live Stream: SKY GO Extra (UK); NBC Sports Live, Fubo.tv (USA) Fubo.tv shows every Manchester City game with a high-quality and legal stream. New to Fubo.tv? Click here to sign up for a discounted rate.

Radio: BBC Radio Manchester (UK); TalkSport Radio World (USA)

Preview:

The English Premier League is back. Fulham will host Manchester City on Saturday.

The Cottagers have struggled since their promotion. They have only won four EPL matches this season and are currently nineteenth in the table. Although Fulham are three points above Huddersfield Town, who are in twentieth, the Cottages are 13 points from safety. Unless something spectacular where to occur toward the end of the season, it is very likely Fulham will be relegated. They will, however, get to play spoiler in the EPL title race. Prior to the international break, Fulham nearly earned a draw with Liverpool, although a late penalty saw the Reds earn all three points. The Cottagers will now host the Sky Blues on Saturday, where they could once again potentially influence the title race.

Manchester City, on the other hand, will see this match as an opportunity to put the pressure back on Liverpool. They are currently two points behind the Reds, albeit with a game in hand. A victory on Saturday would see the Sky Blues reclaim the top spot in the EPL title. Having won last season, the Mancunian club is all too familiar with the pressure associated with winning the league. Will City be the first top-flight club to retain the title since the 1980s?

Team News:

Fulham’s Alfie Mawson and Marcus Bettinelli are injured and will not feature in this match.

Manchester City’s Fabian Delph is injured. Vincent Kompany, Claudio Bravo, Fernandinho, Kevin De Bruyne, Benjamin Mendy, John Stones and Eliaquim Mangala have all returned to training.

Possible Lineups:

Fulham

Formation: 4-3-3

Rico; Odoi, Chambers, Ream, Bryan; Cairney, Anguissa, Seri; Sessegnon, Mitrović, Babel

Manager: Scott Parker

Manchester City

Formation: 4-3-3

Ederson; Walker, Otamendi, Laporte, Zinchenko; B. Silva, Gündoğan, D. Silva; Sterling, Agüero, Sané

Manager: Pep Guardiola

Prediction:

It has been a difficult season for Fulham. Following their elimination from the EFL “Carabao” Cup and FA Cup competitions, and their continued poor form in the league, manager Slaviša Jokanović was sacked. Scott Parker was appointed as the caretaker, but it appears to be too little too late for the Cottagers. Moreover, it was reported a portion of Fulham fans will hold a demonstration on Saturday, where they will protest rising ticket prices. The stadium also placed a ban on banners. Simply put, things have not gone well for the Cottagers.

In contrast, Manchester City have already won the Carabao Cup and are on course for an unprecedented quadruple. City manager Pep Guardiola and his men have dismissed such claims, but with the Sky Blues competing in the FA Cup Semi-Finals and the UEFA Champions League Quarter-finals, one wonders if City have the calibre to make history.

Having come off of the international break, it is expected both sides will be a little rusty in this match. Nonetheless, Fulham’s recent form suggests Manchester City should edge this encounter. Fulham will give it their all, but this will not be enough to overcome a rampant Manchester team.

Fulham 1-3 Manchester City