Prediction: Fulham vs Manchester City

20th November 2010

Fulham desperately need a victory in order to escape the dangerous zone and the Cottagers hope to build on the goalless draw at Newcastle last weekend. City continued to struggle as they failed to beat Birmingham at Eastlands, so both sides see this match as an opportunity to kick-start their season.

Fulham had started the season pretty well considering the departure of Roy Hodgson but injuries to star players Zamora and Murphy took the wind out of their sails, and the Cottagers have been struggling to return to the right track ever since. After Danny Murphy returned to the side, Mark Hughes’ team showed a lot of improvement in their performances and if they keep up the current run of form, the results, too, are bound to improve. Fulham picked up 5 points from last 4 games, which is a great result seeing they played Wigan and Aston Villa at home, before traveling to Stamford Bridge and St James Park, so the fans expect the good run to continue against Manchester City. The hosts will welcome back Carlos Salcido and Chris Baird to the side after the pair recovered from their respective injuries, but Moussa Dembele is set to miss next three weeks of action with an ankle ligament injury. Zamora, Stoor and Senderos remain long-term casualties.

Manchester City are the perfect proof money can’t buy you trophies, with the Citizens’ star-studded squad struggling even against the weakest sides in the Premiership. Everybody at Eastlands are slowly realizing that Roberto Mancini is not the right man for the job and it is more than clear the players have lost the confidence in his abilities. The team are far from the desired form, having won just one of their last six games, so they have every reason to fear the trip to Craven Cottage. The boss faces real selection problems since Mario Balotelli is suspended, while Emmanuel Adebayor, Joleon Lescott and Micah Richards are likely to miss the game through injuries, and this only adds to the worries. City desperately need a victory in this match in order to stay close to the title contenders, but everything suggests that is not going to happen.

Conclusion

With two different approaches pitted against each other, I expect Fulham to gain the upper hand as football is above all a team game, which is something Manchester City players do not seem able to comprehend. Fulham are slowly raising their form and I believe the Cottagers will be able to expose all City’s weaknesses.

Verdict: Home win Fulham (1)

Best Odds: 9/4

Bookmaker: Victor Chandler