Manchester City will be looking to continue their undefeated start to the season with another win against their regular whipping boys Fulham. The European champions have started the season by retaining the resilience and cold-bloodedness that made them treble winners for the first time in club history. Burnley and Newcastle United have been beaten in the Premier League by Pep Guardiola’s men, who have already lifted silverware this season, via the UEFA Super Cup win.
Now the Sky Blues have set their sights on a quest to become the first-ever side to win four consecutive Premier League titles. Man City have made their home ground a fortress as the 1-0 win over Newcastle made it 18 wins from their 20 league games at the Etihad Stadium since the start of last season.
Having also scored more home goals than any other side during the 2022/23 season, City averaged 3.1 goals per home game. Their next visitors Fulham will not be pleased about their imperious form especially as the Cityzens are unbeaten in their last 14 league games against Fulham, winning 11 and drawing three.
City’s domination of this particular fixture is further emphasized by the fact they have actually won each of the last nine league fixtures against Fulham, keeping a clean sheet in the last five.
The hosts are clear favourites and it is hard to see a divergence from that here.
For Fulham, their 1-0 at Everton on the opening day of the season preceded a 3-0 home defeat to Brentford, giving them a mixed start to the new campaign. The Cottagers lost all eight of their games against last season’s top four, and that has to feel even worse, given their 14-game losing streak against the Mancunians.
It would take an almost impossible effort to secure a stunning win at the Etihad as their last victory against them came all the way back in 2009. Indeed, it is more likely that City will improve their unrelenting streak here, and make it one of their longest winning runs against a single club, alongside Watford (15) and West Bromwich Albion (14).
Yet, it is pertinent to note that three of Fulham’s four Premier League victories against Man City were away from home, with the most recent coming when a Clint Dempsey brace helped them to a 3-1 triumph past a Mark Hughes-led team in April 2009.
Match tickets
This match kicks off at the traditional 3 PM UK time slot on Saturday September 2, 2023 and it is a must-see given the talent that will be on show and guaranteed goals.
Manchester City vs Fulham Tickets for the match are on sale via the individual website of both clubs but it is definitely going to be a sell out because of the appeal that Man City have as reigning treble winners. The Cityzens have picked up a league-leading 55 from a possible 60 points at home since the beginning of last season, and the Etihad should be packed to the rafters for what promises to be a glorious day out in Manchester.
Getting Fulham tickets would then be tougher as it is a big away game for the Londoners, meaning you would most likely be unable to buy from official sources. However, supporters may be lucky enough to find seats on a ticket reselling site.
Team news
There will be a very big absence within the Man City squad for this game as Guardiola is recovering from emergency surgery for chronic back pain. The 52-year-old is in Barcelona and is not expected to return until after the September international break, meaning he will ultimately miss two of the club’s Premier League games; having been absent for the win over Sheffield United yesterday.
While the recently returned assistant manager Juanma Lillo will oversee coaching on the training ground and on the sidelines in the meantime, City will also be unable to call upon Zack Steffen, Bernardo Silva and Kevin De Bruyne against Fulham.
The Belgian is expected to be out for the rest of the year after undergoing surgery on his hamstring, but England defender John Stones is likely to return after injuring his hip in the Community Shield game against Arsenal. For the West London side, Marco Silva will be glad to welcome back Tim Ream from suspension, after the American missed the trip to Arsenal following his red card in their defeat to Brentford. Portuguese midfielder Joao Palhinha will be a doubt to make the game as he continues to recover from a shoulder injury that he sustained during pre-season.
Line-ups
Despite the likelihood of rotations to the City team, a certainty is Erling Haaland playing and scoring after he set the record for the most Premier League goals scored in a single campaign. The striker has been directly involved in 29 goals in just 19 league matches at the Etihad stadium (22 goals and 7 assists) and you can’t bet against him finding the net against Fulham.
Phil Foden will be desperate to step up in the absence of De Bruyne as his creativity is important to creating chances for his Norwegian teammate to score.
Man City: Ederson; Walker, Dias, Akanji, Gvardiol; Rodri, Kovacic, Foden; Silva, Haaland, Grealish
Fulham will look to get Raul Jiménez among the scoresheet following his summer move from Wolves. The Mexican striker is similar in profile to the departed Aleksandar Mitrovic and the sooner he starts scoring, the better their overall chances this season. Adama Traore could also be eyeing a start against City, given his blistering pace on the counter as well as his brilliant understanding with Jimenez, his ex-teammate from their Wolves days.
Fulham: Leno; Tete, Diop, Ream, Robinson; Lukic, Reed, Pereira; Traore, Jimenez, De Cordova-Reid
Prediction
As City aim to keep rising up the table and shrug off the early challenges of Brighton and Arsenal in the standings, they will be looking forward to a typical win over Fulham. Guardiola’s side have also netted at least two goals in each of their last 13 games in all competitions against the Cottagers. Hence, we can expect a battling victory in spite of the tough challenge that the visitors should pose.
Manchester City 3-0 Fulham