Manchester City vs Fulham (Premier League): Match Preview, Team News, Head to Head, How To Watch

Manchester City look to keep their perfect start to the ongoing Premier League season going as they welcome Fulham to the Etihad Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

In their last trip out, City took on recently promoted Sheffield United, who proved to be more of a challenge than initially met the eye, as Juanma Lillo took charge of his first game in the temporary absence of Pep Guardiola.

Moments before the half-time interval, Erling Haaland missed a golden chance to put his team ahead as he sent an effort from the penalty spot into the goalpost, keeping the game level and sparking a buoyant home atmosphere.

However, it would only take 18 minutes into the second half for the Norwegian striker to find the back of the net and make amends for his earlier mistake, giving Manchester City the lead and marking Erling Haaland with his third goal of the new season.

The Blades would find their way back into the game after a few moments of sloppy defensive player from the Sky Blues and particularly Kyle Walker, which was capitalised on by Jayden Bogle, who slipped the ball beyond Ederson’s reach.

Immediately following that strike, the reigning Treble Winners came out with venom, pressing and passing the ball from Sheffield United’s half, before Rodri sent a shot into the top corner of the net securing the three points for the Citizens in dramatic fashion.

On the other side of Saturday’s ticket sit Fulham, who come into the match off the back of a victory in the Carabao Cup against Tottenham Hotspur, progressing through to the third round of the competition via a 5-3 penalty shoot-out victory.

In the Premier League, Fulham previously drew against Arsenal, with Joao Palhinha levelling the game with only minutes to spare before full-time at the Emirates Stadium. The central midfielder is a huge doubt for the weekend’s game after a deal to join Bayern Munich collapsed at the last moment.

Fixture Details

Manchester City take on Fulham on Saturday 2 September, with kick-off at the Etihad Stadium scheduled for 15:00 BST.

Team News

Phil Foden has fully recovered from the illness that kept him out of the majority of the match against Sheffield United last weekend, with the England international restricted to featuring in the closing minutes of the contest.

Matheus Nunes‘ availability for Saturday’s match remains unknown following his arrival at the club on Deadline Day, with stand-in manager Juanma Lillo stating during his pre-match press conference, “I know he is a Manchester City player, but I don’t know if he’s going to be available.”

Manuel Akanji could feature against Fulham however, after sitting out against Sheffield United as a precautionary method, with the Swiss defender listed as ‘not fully fit’ by the club. John Stones is ‘much better’ according to Juanma Lillo, while Kevin De Bruyne remains sidelined.

Head-To-Head

In recent history, all matches between the two sides have gone Manchester City’s way, with both Premier League fixtures last year resulting in a 2-1 win for Pep Guardiola’s side, while their FA Cup meeting ended 4-1 in the Sky Blues’ favour.

How To Watch

For viewers in the United Kingdom, Saturday’s match will not be broadcast due to the 3PM television black-out.

For viewers in the United States, you can view Saturday’s match on Peacock, with kick-off scheduled for 10:00 a.m. EST.

For fans living elsewhere, you can find the complete TV Listings here!

You can also join us on the official City Xtra YouTube channel live pre-match, throughout the game and post-match, along with thousands of other Manchester City fans from around the world, with the live watchalong!