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Played
January 19, 2013 3:00 PM GMT
Etihad Stadium — Manchester
Referee:‬ J. Moss‎
Attendance:‬ 47286‎
 
2′ David Silva
 
69′ David Silva
 

Manchester City - Fulham Preview: Mancini's men look to close gap at the summit of the Premier League

The champions will be looking to apply pressure on title rivals Manchester United with a win over the Cottagers - a side struggling under Dutch manager Martin Jol

By Rhys Turrell

More On :  Fulham, Manchester City, Roberto Mancini, Martin Jol, Manchester City vs Fulham
  PROBABLE LINEUPS

MANCHESTER CITY

Hart
Zabaleta, Kompany, Nastasic, Clichy
Barry, Milner
Nasri, Tevez, Silva
Dzeko

FULHAM

Schwarzer
Riether, Hangeland, Hughes, Richardson
Baird, Karagounis
Kacaniklic, Ruiz, Duff
Berbatov

Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini will have captain Vincent Kompany available after the Belgium defender saw his red card from last Sunday's 2-0 win at Arsenal rescinded.

Samir Nasri is in contention after serving a three match ban for the dismissal he received at Norwich, whilst Argentina striker Sergio Aguero (hamstring) may return from the injury he picked up on New Year's Day.

Micah Richards and Maicon (both knee) are out, along with Jack Rodwell (hamstring).

Fulham will include Dimitar Berbatov for the trip to the Etihad, after the Bulgaria striker was rested for the narrow FA Cup win over Blackpool on Tuesday.

Bryan Ruiz and Steve Sidwell (both hamstring) are also available.

Simon Davies (hip), Kerim Frei (groin) and Mahamadou Diarra (knee) are all out.

  DID YOU KNOW?
  • Manchester City have won 65 of the last 67 games when they have been leading by two goals - the others both ended in draws.
  • City defender Pablo Zabaleta has made more tackles (67) than anyone else at the Etihad Stadium. He averages one every 22.5 minutes.
  • The reigning Premier League champions are averaging 1.12 points per goal in the top flight this season.
  • Fulham have scored almost a quarter (23%) of their 31 Premier League goals this season in the final 10 minutes of matches.
  • The Cottagers are in a bad spell of form - they have won just three of their last 16 matches in all competitions.
  • Chris Baird makes the joint-highest number of interceptions per game (3.6) in the Premier League.

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Field Report
Reader's Predictions
Top 3 Predictions
  • Manchester City 3-0 Fulham
    15.07 %
  • Manchester City 3-1 Fulham
    14.76 %
  • Manchester City 2-0 Fulham
    9.52 %
Head to Head
Premier League ‎(EPL)‎ 19 Jan 2013 Manchester City 2 - Fulham 0
  • Player Ratings
  • Match Report
  • Play by Play
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Premier League ‎(EPL)‎ 29 Sep 2012 Fulham 1 - Manchester City 2
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Premier League ‎(EPL)‎ 4 Feb 2012 Manchester City 3 - Fulham 0
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Premier League ‎(EPL)‎ 18 Sep 2011 Fulham 2 - Manchester City 2
  • Player Ratings
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Premier League ‎(EPL)‎ 27 Feb 2011 Manchester City 1 - Fulham 1
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Last Five Matches
Manchester City
19 May 2013Manchester City 2 - Norwich City 3EPL
14 May 2013Reading 0 - Manchester City 2EPL
11 May 2013Manchester City 0 - Wigan Athletic 1FA
7 May 2013Manchester City 1 - West Bromwich Albion 0EPL
4 May 2013Swansea City 0 - Manchester City 0EPL
Fulham
19 May 2013Swansea City 0 - Fulham 3EPL
12 May 2013Fulham 1 - Liverpool 3EPL
4 May 2013Fulham 2 - Reading 4EPL
27 Apr 2013Everton 1 - Fulham 0EPL
20 Apr 2013Fulham 0 - Arsenal FC 1EPL
Odds
Returns: Manchester City £12.50 PaddyPower Sign up to Paddy Power for £250 in free bets
Returns: Draw £560.00 WilliamHill Sign up with William Hill for a free bet up to £25
Returns: Fulham £3510.00 Bet365 Sign up with bet365 for a free bet up to £200
Team News
Available Squads
1Joe HartGoalkeeper
4Vincent KompanyDefender
5Pablo ZabaletaDefender
22Gael ClichyDefender
33Matija NastasicDefender
7James MilnerMidfielder
14Javi GarcíaMidfielder
18Gareth BarryMidfielder
21David SilvaStriker
10Edin DzekoStriker
32Carlos TévezStriker
30Costel PantilimonGoalkeeper
6Joleon LescottDefender
13Aleksandar KolarovDefender
8Samir NasriMidfielder
17Jack RodwellMidfielder
16Sergio AgüeroStriker
45Mario BalotelliStriker
1Mark SchwarzerGoalkeeper
5Brede HangelandDefender
18Aaron HughesDefender
20Sascha RietherMidfielder
4Steve SidwellMidfielder
26Giorgos KaragounisMidfielder
11Kieran RichardsonMidfielder
16Damien DuffMidfielder
21Ashkan DejagahStriker
9Dimitar BerbatovStriker
11Bryan RuizStriker
38Neil EtheridgeGoalkeeper
14Philippe SenderosDefender
6Chris BairdDefender
28Matthew BriggsDefender
31Alexander KacaniklicMidfielder
10Mladen PetricStriker
20Hugo RodallegaStriker
Players to Watch
Edin Dzeko
Edin Dzeko
Position: Striker
Squad Number: 10
Games Goals YC RC
32 14 4 0
The big Bosnia forward had been dubbed a 'super sub' thanks to his performances from the bench earlier on this season, but the former Wolfsburg man is so much more than that. His ability in the air is bettered by few, and he will give Hughes and Hangeland a torrid afternoon if he receives the right service. Sergio Aguero is on the path to a return to full fitness, and Mario Balotelli is still lurking around, so Dzeko may well be playing with his position in the side at stake, and that may prove ominous for the visitors.
Damien Duff
Damien Duff
Position: Midfielder
Squad Number: 16
Games Goals YC RC
31 3 0 0
If we assume that Dimitar Berbatov is the best player in this side, then it's well worth noting that Damien Duff is amongst the best workers. His tireless performances for the club may not earn his many headlines, but his experience and skill on the ball will ensure he will not be shown up by the stars in City's ranks. The Irish midfielder has had a distinguished Premier League campaign, and when he's on fire, he can still cause problems for even the best of defences. If Fulham are to nick a point at the Etihad, Duff will almost certainly be instrumental in it.
Prediction
Manchester City's win at Arsenal last time out was highly impressive, and they'll need to put in performances of that authority every week if they want to retain their Premier League crown. They shouldn't need to get out of second gear against a Fulham side with an appalling away record over the years, and you'll be hard pushed to find anyone who see's past a routine home win for Roberto Mancini's men here.
Editor's Prediction
Manchester City 3
Fulham 0
Results
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Top Scorers
Player   Goals Penalties
Robin van Persie Robin van Persie
Striker
Manchester United 		26 3
Luis Suárez Luis Suárez
Striker
Liverpool 		23 0
Gareth Bale Gareth Bale
Midfielder
Tottenham 		21 0
C. Benteke C. Benteke
Striker
Aston Villa 		19 3
Michu Michu
Midfielder
Swansea City 		19 0

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