Manchester City vs Fulham: Four wins in four the goal for reigning Premier League champs
Manchester City will seek to protect their lead on top of the Premier League table when they host Fulham on Saturday. The Cityzens are the only team so far who have earned maximum points from their first three games, but come into this contest having to work a lot harder than expected to see off Sheffield United. Pep Guardiola’s men are the reigning champions, having won the league title last season and will naturally be seeking to ensure that the coveted prize remains with them for another season.
Manchester City’s fearsome home form – they’ve turned the Etihad into a virtual fortress
Of note is Manchester City’s impressive home form. They will come into this upcoming game having won their last 17 consecutive match across all comps at the Etihad, which has established a new club record. Although Guardiola is not on the tactician’s bench as he continues to recover from back surgery, the Spanish tactician, who now has set another record for the fastest ever time to earn 200 Premier League wins (in just 269 games), will naturally be confident of his team’s chances at beating a Fulham side that they’ve beaten in their last 14 meetings.
Should City win this game, it will mark the first time in seven years that they have won all four of their opening Premier League ties, and although Fulham have been in solid form lately, it’s safe to assume that Marco Silva’s team might find this game to be a bridge too far.
Despite decent form, Fulham facing uphill battle against history
Fulham started the season off well, as the Cottages successfully battled to a 1-0 win over an already relegation-threatened Everton on matchday one. However, they were shockingly thrashed 3-0 by Brentford, before earning a well-deserved point despite having to play with a man down against Arsenal. Silva’s squad are also into the next round of the EFL Cup after defeating Tottenham on spot-kicks, which certainly will give them the encouragement they will need when traveling to the Etihad on Saturday.
As noted before, not only are Manchester City unbeaten in their last 17 games across all comps on home turf, but also have not lost in their last 14 meetings with the Cottagers, who have lost in all nine of their prior trips to the Etihad. In fact, one will have to go back well over a decade – to April 2009 – to find the last time Fulham beat the Cityzens at the Etihad.
Fulham did cause a bit of trouble for City last season, however. The reigning Premier League champs needed a late goal from Erling Haaland to avoid what would have been a 1-1 draw. Hence, this game may be a bit tougher for City than expected, but despite missing a few key players, Guardiola’s team are expected to eventually overwhelm their visitors and make it four wins in four.
