The decision comes as the Citizens, currently five points behind leaders Arsenal, seek to maintain pressure in the title race amid a demanding schedule that includes an upcoming Champions League trip to Real Madrid.
The confirmed Manchester City XI (4-3-3) features Gianluigi Donnarumma in goal, with Matheus Nunes, Ruben Dias, Josko Gvardiol, and James O’Reilly forming the backline. In midfield, Bernardo Silva captains the side alongside Nico Gonzalez and Tijjani Reijnders, while Phil Foden, Jeremy Doku, and Erling Haaland lead the attack. Substitutes include Scott Trafford, John Stones, Nathan Ake, Omar Marmoush, Rayan Cherki, Rayan Ait-Nouri, Savinho, Abdukodir Khusanov, and Rico Lewis.
Guardiola's choice to stick with the same personnel reflects confidence in the group's cohesion, despite recent concerns over away form—City have lost their last two Premier League matches on the road and won just once away since the season's opening day.
Speaking ahead of the fixture, the City manager addressed the need for rotation, particularly for Haaland, who continues to chase his 100th Premier League goal. "Erling sometimes has to rest because he plays a lot of minutes, but sometimes with his body I don’t know if it’s good to rest," Guardiola noted. "Sometimes it is better to play, play, play and after 60 minutes maybe you are tired and go out. I don’t know when his body stops." He added that players like Foden and Doku benefit more from rest due to quicker recovery times.
Injuries continue to test Guardiola's options in central midfield. Rodri, the 2024 Ballon d'Or winner, remains sidelined with a nagging hamstring issue following his earlier ACL recovery, and was confirmed unavailable for this trip. Mateo Kovacic is also out long-term after ankle surgery, limiting freshening-up possibilities in that department.
Meanwhile, Fulham head coach Marco Silva enters the match buoyed by a morale-boosting 2-1 win at Tottenham Hotspur, marking three victories in their last four outings and pulling them seven points clear of the relegation zone.
Silva's side has shown resilience, breaking their own Premier League points record from last season and posing threats in transition through the likes of Alex Iwobi, Samuel Chukwueze, Harry Wilson, and Raul Jimenez. Antonee Robinson and Rodrigo Muniz remain absent through injury, with midfielder Sasa Lukic potentially replacing Chukwueze to allow Iwobi to shift wide.
In his pre-match preview, Silva emphasized embracing the challenge, stating his intent to rally the squad under the lights at Craven Cottage. "This is a big challenge, but one we're ready for," he said, highlighting Fulham's recent progress in being "tough to play against" top sides. Despite the daunting historical context—City have won the last 18 meetings across all competitions, scoring at least twice in each of the past 19—Silva remains focused on execution. "We're going to do our job like we have been doing so far this season," he affirmed, underscoring the importance of the home crowd's energy.
Kick-off is at 8:30 p.m. GMT. A win for City would narrow the gap to Arsenal ahead of the Gunners' midweek fixture against Brentford, while Fulham aim to extend their winning streak and defy the odds in this lopsided rivalry.
No comments:
Post a Comment