England - Premier League
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Played
September 29, 2012 3:00 PM BST
Craven Cottage — London
Referee:‬ M. Halsey‎
Attendance:‬ 25698‎
 
10′ (PG) Mladen Petric
Sergio Agüero 44′
 
Edin Dzeko 87′

Fulham - Manchester City Preview: Champions are winless in last four ahead of tough Craven Cottage clash

Roberto Mancini's side are in stuttering form and, having failed to keep a clean sheet so far this season, face a daunting trip to west London to face the Cottagers

By Matt Scott

More On :  Fulham, Manchester City FC, Fulham vs Manchester City FC
Joleon Lescott, Gael Clichy & Pablo
Getty
  PROBABLE LINEUPS

FULHAM

Schwarzer
Riether, Hughes, Hangeland, Riise
Duff, Sidwell, Karagounis, Kacaniklic
Petric, Rodallega
MANCHESTER CITY
 
Hart
Zabaleta, Kompany, Lescott, Clichy
Sinclair, Garcia, Yaya Toure, Silva
Dzeko, Aguero

Fulham boss Martin Jol is unlikely to make many changes after his side's win at Wigan last week, a rare away success for the Cottagers, though Dimitar Berbatov is set to miss out after injuring his hip in training.

Giorgos Karagounis was an unused substitute at the DW Stadium but could come in for his Fulham debut against Roberto Mancini's side with Mahamadou Diarra (knee), Simon Davies (hip) and Kieran Richardson (knock) all set to be missing from the Cottagers' midfield.

Kerim Frei and Ashkan Dejagah are both struggling with minor injuries, while Philippe Senderos is still short of full fitness after missing pre-season with a foot injury.

Mancini made 10 changes to his starting XI for City's midweek League Cup disappointment against Aston Villa and is likely to bring his more established stars back for the trip to west London.

City lined up with a three-man defence on Wednesday evening but will probably revert to a back four with Vincent Kompany pairing Joleon Lescott in defence.

Samir Nasri (hamstring) is missing from the midfield, so Scott Sinclair may continue after appearing against Stoke and Arsenal recently, while Maicon (foot) and Micah Richards' (ankle) absences will see Pablo Zabaleta hold on to his spot at right-back.

  DID YOU KNOW?
  • Fulham have only lost one of their last 13 Premier League outings at Craven Cottage.
  • Martin Jol's side enjoyed a fine home record against last season's top six, recording two wins, two draws and falling to two defeats.
  • Giorgos Karagounis (pictured right) is one goal away from 50 strikes in league football, in a career that has seen him play in the Greek Super League, Serie A and Portuguese Liga.
  • Manchester City have only won one of their last six games in all competitions.
  • The Citizens' form in games in London last season was inconsistent, winning twice, but also losing two and drawing another, coincidentally at Fulham.
  • Joe Hart needs to keep three more clean sheets to reach 100 shut-outs in his club career. He has conceded in each of his six appearances so far this term.
  • The corresponding fixture last season saw the Cottagers fight back from two goals down to snatch a 2-2 draw thanks to a Bobby Zamora effort and Vincent Kompany's own-goal.
  • City hold an historical advantage over the Cottagers with 26 victories to Fulham's 17 while there have been 16 draws between the sides.

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Field Report
Reader's Predictions
Top 3 Predictions
  • Fulham 8-0 Manchester City FC
    24.9 %
  • Fulham 1-3 Manchester City FC
    11.06 %
  • Fulham 0-2 Manchester City FC
    9.85 %
Head to Head
England - Premier League ‎(EPL)‎ Jan 19, 2013 Manchester City FC 2 - Fulham 0
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England - Premier League ‎(EPL)‎ Sep 29, 2012 Fulham 1 - Manchester City FC 2
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England - Premier League ‎(EPL)‎ Feb 4, 2012 Manchester City FC 3 - Fulham 0
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England - Premier League ‎(EPL)‎ Sep 18, 2011 Fulham 2 - Manchester City FC 2
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  • Play by Play
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England - Premier League ‎(EPL)‎ Feb 27, 2011 Manchester City FC 1 - Fulham 1
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Last Five Matches
Fulham
May 19, 2013Swansea 0 - Fulham 3EPL
May 12, 2013Fulham 1 - Liverpool 3EPL
May 4, 2013Fulham 2 - Reading 4EPL
Apr 27, 2013Everton 1 - Fulham 0EPL
Apr 20, 2013Fulham 0 - Arsenal 1EPL
Manchester City FC
May 24, 2013Chelsea FC 3 - Manchester City FC 4FR
May 19, 2013Manchester City FC 2 - Norwich City 3EPL
May 14, 2013Reading 0 - Manchester City FC 2EPL
May 11, 2013Manchester City FC 0 - Wigan Athletic 1FA
May 7, 2013Manchester City FC 1 - West Bromwich Albion 0EPL
Odds
Returns: Fulham £5010.00 Bet365 Sign up with bet365 for a free bet up to £200
Returns: Draw £260.00 Bet365 Sign up with bet365 for a free bet up to £200
Returns: Manchester City £32.00 WilliamHill Sign up with William Hill for a free bet up to £25
Team News
Available Squads
1Mark SchwarzerGoalkeeper
7John Arne RiiseDefender
5Brede HangelandDefender
6Chris BairdDefender
18Aaron HughesDefender
20Sascha RietherMidfielder
4Steve SidwellMidfielder
16Damien DuffMidfielder
10Mladen PetricStriker
11Bryan RuizStriker
20Hugo RodallegaStriker
-David StockdaleGoalkeeper
2Stephen KellyDefender
28Matthew BriggsDefender
-Alex SmithDefender
10Pajtim KasamiMidfielder
26Giorgos KaragounisMidfielder
31Alexander KacaniklicMidfielder
1Joe HartGoalkeeper
4Vincent KompanyDefender
5Pablo ZabaletaDefender
22Gael ClichyDefender
33Matija NastasicDefender
14Javi GarcíaMidfielder
18Gareth BarryMidfielder
21David SilvaStriker
42Yaya Touré Midfielder
16Sergio AgüeroStriker
32Carlos TévezStriker
30Costel PantilimonGoalkeeper
6Joleon LescottDefender
13Aleksandar KolarovDefender
7James MilnerMidfielder
8Samir NasriMidfielder
10Edin DzekoStriker
45Mario BalotelliStriker
Players to Watch
Alexander Kacaniklic
Alexander Kacaniklic
Position: Midfielder
Squad Number: 31
Games Goals YC RC
20 4 0 0
The Swedish left-winger has developed into a key member of the Cottagers' squad this season and could do damage to City, with the right side of their defence having been a source of issues all season. City will have to be at their stoic best to quell the 21-year-old's pace and trickery.
Sergio Agüero
Sergio Agüero
Position: Striker
Squad Number: 16
Games Goals YC RC
30 12 2 0
The Argentina international made his comeback from injury against Arsenal last week and can maybe attribute rustiness to a poor miss towards the end of the game that could have sealed a win for the Citizens. With his side growing desperate for a win, the onus will be on Aguero to strike.
Prediction
The champions have stuttered in recent weeks and Fulham are never an easy team to beat on their own patch. However, with most of the first team rested in midweek, Roberto Mancini will have a fit and raring-to-go side at his disposal and if they click, City are more than capable of picking up a first win in five games.
Editor's Prediction
Fulham 1
Manchester City 2
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