Manchester City travel to London to take on Fulham, hoping to pick up another three points and move one step closer to another Premier League title.
Date: 11/05/24
Kick-off time: 12:30
Venue: Craven Cottage
With just three games remaining, Man City and Pep Guardiola are closing in on a fourth consecutive league title. They currently sit second, a point behind leaders Arsenal, but have a game in hand, meaning they are in control and it is theirs to lose. Ever since they drew 0-0 at home to the Gunners, they have won six in a row, taking advantage of both Mikel Arteta’s side and Liverpool’s slip-ups. Victory against Fulham would leave them two wins away. Any dropped points would hand the initiative right back to Arsenal with so little time left.
Fulham, in contrast, have little to play for, as they occupy 12th place in the table. They only have two games left, and trail Bournemouth in 10th by four points. Therefore, a top half finish is unlikely, though they will want to finish as high as possible. Both Brighton and Crystal Palace are just behind, so a defeat could see them drop.
The hosts have won just once in their last six games, so face a very difficult task in stopping their opponents. Only Arsenal have scored more than Man City, with 25 of their 87 goals belonging to Erling Haaland. The striker is red hot at the moment, having scored a hat-trick in their last game against Wolves. Marco Silva’s team have conceded eight in their last six, but will have to be at the top of their game to keep the Norwegian quiet. Haaland is not the only attacking option, of course, with Phil Foden and Julian Alvarez also combining for 26 goals. If Fulham are to pose a threat of their own, it is likely to come from Rodrigo Muniz, who is their top scorer with nine strikes.
This head-to-head is extremely one-sided, unsurprisingly in the favour of Man City. In all competitions, City have won 15 meetings in a row, dating back to February 2012. It is an extraordinary record that they will be hoping to extend this weekend. The last time Fulham were victorious in this fixture was all the way back in 2009, when they won 3-1 away from home. The reverse fixture earlier this season ended 5-1 to City in a dominant victory. Alvarez and Nathan Ake put them two-up before the break, and Haaland added a second half hat-trick. Tim Ream briefly equalised for Fulham in the first.