Fulham vs Manchester City: Preview, Prediction & Betting Picks

Manchester City head to London to clash with Fulham, looking to grab another three points and inch closer to clinching another Premier League title.

Date: 11/05/24

Kick-off time: 6:30 am Pacific Time

Venue: Craven Cottage

With only three games remaining, Man City and Pep Guardiola are zeroing in on a fourth consecutive league championship. They're currently sitting in second place, just one point behind leaders Arsenal, but they have a game in hand, giving them the upper hand. Since their scoreless draw at home against the Gunners, they've rattled off six wins in a row, capitalizing on both slip-ups by Mikel Arteta's squad and Liverpool. A win against Fulham would put them just two wins away. Dropping any points here would hand the initiative right back to Arsenal with so little time left.

Fulham, on the other hand, have little left to play for this season, sitting comfortably in 12th place in the table. They only have two games remaining and trail Bournemouth in 10th by four points. So, a top-half finish seems unlikely, but they'll still be aiming to finish as high as possible. Both Brighton and Crystal Palace are hot on their heels, so a loss could see them drop down the table.

The home team has only managed one win in their last six games, making them face a daunting task against their opponents. Only Arsenal has outscored Man City, with 25 of their impressive 87 goals coming from Erling Haaland. The striker is on fire right now, having bagged a hat-trick in their last match against Wolves. Marco Silva's team has conceded eight goals in their last six, and they'll need to be at their absolute best to keep the Norwegian quiet. Of course, Haaland isn't their only attacking threat, with Phil Foden and Julian Alvarez combining for 26 goals themselves. If Fulham plan to pose any danger, it'll likely come from Rodrigo Muniz, their leading scorer with nine goals.

This head-to-head matchup is heavily one-sided, unsurprisingly favoring Man City. In all competitions, City has dominated Fulham, winning 15 straight meetings dating back to February 2012. It's an extraordinary record they'll be hoping to extend this weekend. The last time Fulham emerged victorious in this fixture was all the way back in 2009, with a surprising 3-1 win on the road. The earlier meeting this season ended in a convincing 5-1 victory for City. Alvarez and Nathan Ake put them two goals ahead before the break, and Haaland added a hat-trick in the second half. Tim Ream managed to pull one back for Fulham in the first half, but it wasn't enough.

Fulham Team News

Harrison Reed might return from injury after missing last weekend's match.

Man City Team News

Pep Guardiola has a fully healthy squad to choose from after goalkeeper Ederson returned from a shoulder injury last weekend.

Fulham: Up and Down Stretch

Fulham has had a mixed bag of results in their last five games, going 1-2-2. They haven't been able to string together wins, but they're also avoiding big losses. It all started with a tough 1-0 home defeat to Newcastle. Even though Fulham controlled the ball and took more shots, they couldn't find the back of the net. Bruno Guimaraes scored the winner for Newcastle late in the game.

They bounced back well with a 2-0 victory away at West Ham. It was a close game with chances on both ends, but Andreas Pereira scored a goal in each half to secure the three points for Fulham. Liverpool proved too much to handle, though, handing Fulham a 3-1 home loss. Trent Alexander-Arnold put Liverpool ahead, but Timothy Castagne equalized right before halftime. Ryan Gravenberch put Liverpool back in front shortly after the break, and Diogo Jota added another for good measure.

Fulham then dropped more points in a 1-1 draw against Crystal Palace. Rodrigo Muniz gave them the lead midway through the second half, but Jeffrey Schlupp scored a late equalizer to steal a point for Palace. Their most recent outing was a scoreless draw against West London rivals Brentford. It was a pretty even match with Brentford having slightly more possession and Fulham taking more shots, but neither team could break the deadlock.

Manchester City: On a Roll Despite Champions League Exit

Manchester City has been on a tear in their last five games, going undefeated with four wins and a draw. This run started after their disappointing exit from the Champions League. They faced Real Madrid in the second leg of the quarter-finals, but the game ended in a 1-1 draw (after a 3-3 first leg). Rodrygo put Madrid ahead early, but Kevin De Bruyne equalized to send the game to extra time and eventually penalties. Los Blancos won the shootout 4-3 after Bernardo Silva and Mateo Kovacic missed their spot kicks.

City then shifted their focus to the FA Cup where they faced Chelsea in the semi-finals. The Blues had a number of chances, but Pep Guardiola's men emerged victorious 1-0 thanks to a late goal from Bernardo Silva. Back in Premier League action, City dominated Brighton with a convincing 4-0 win. De Bruyne opened the scoring, followed by a Phil Foden brace before halftime. Julian Alvarez added another goal in the second half to complete the rout.

Nottingham Forest put up a fight, but City cruised to a 2-0 victory away from home. Josko Gvardiol opened the scoring, and Erling Haaland doubled their lead. Their most recent game was a home fixture against Wolves, which City won handily 5-0. Haaland was on fire again, scoring four goals. Julian Alvarez added another for City, while Hwang Hee-chan netted a consolation goal for Wolves.

We expect Man City to take another step closer to the Premier League title with a comfortable win. Fulham might cause some problems in the back, but City's firepower will likely be too much to handle. Prediction: Fulham 1-3 Man City

Fulham vs Manchester City will be available to watch on the Peacock Network (An NBC live-streaming Platform)