City Make Five Changes Ahead of Fulham Clash: Key Facts and Stats

Pep Guardiola has shuffled his Manchester City lineup for their Premier League match against Fulham, making five changes to the team that played in the midweek Champions League match against Slovan Bratislava. With important games coming up across various competitions, these changes aim to keep the squad fresh while maintaining City’s unbeaten streak.

Key Changes in City’s Lineup

Returning to the starting XI are Ederson, Ruben Dias, Mateo Kovacic, Jack Grealish, and Bernardo Silva. This means that Stefan Ortega Moreno, John Stones, Matheus Nunes, Jeremy Doku, and Savinho will sit out. These changes reflect Guardiola’s tactical plan to balance rest and form, as City look to keep their home dominance intact.

The lineup features a 4-3-3 formation with Ederson in goal, Rico Lewis at right-back, and Josko Gvardiol on the left side of the defense. Ruben Dias and Manuel Akanji will pair up in central defense, aiming to provide a solid foundation at the back. In midfield, we could see a double pivot of Kovacic and Ilkay Gundogan, allowing Phil Foden to take on the creative role as a No.10. Up front, Grealish and Bernardo Silva will flank Erling Haaland, who remains City’s key goal-scoring threat.

Fulham’s Challenge at the Etihad

Fulham will not be a walkover for City, despite their recent dominance in this fixture. The West London side has made an impressive start to the season and comes into the game with confidence after making some solid signings over the summer. City, on the other hand, will want to extend their remarkable unbeaten run at home. If they avoid defeat, they will reach 50 unbeaten home games—a feat only achieved by Liverpool, Chelsea, and Sunderland in English football history.

Fulham has a history of being a tricky opponent for City, especially between 2006 and 2009, when they won three times at the Etihad. However, since then, City has taken full control of this fixture, winning their last 16 meetings across all competitions. It’s the longest winning run any team has had over another in English football history. Despite this, Guardiola and his team won’t be taking Fulham lightly, knowing that football can often throw up surprises.

City’s Dominance and Haaland’s Firepower

Manchester City’s home form has been nothing short of spectacular. They are unbeaten in their last 49 home games, winning 40 and drawing nine since their 2-1 loss to Brentford in November 2022. If they can avoid defeat against Fulham, they will become just the fourth team in English top-flight history to go 50 games without losing at home.

City are also on an impressive unbeaten run in the Premier League, having avoided defeat in their last 29 league matches (23 wins, 6 draws). If they don’t lose today, they will equal their longest unbeaten streak in league history, which stretches back to 2017-2018.

At the heart of City’s goal-scoring threat is Erling Haaland, who continues to break records. He has scored an astonishing 60 goals in just 52 games at the Etihad since joining the club. Already the fourth-highest scorer at the ground, Haaland will be eager to add to his tally against Fulham and further cement his place as one of the most feared forwards in Europe.

Key Stats to Watch

City have had remarkable success against Fulham, especially when it comes to penalties. They’ve been awarded a penalty in each of their last six Premier League meetings with Fulham and have converted all of them. It’s the longest such streak in Premier League history. Will this trend continue?

Today’s match also marks a milestone for City defender Kyle Walker. If he plays, this will be his 400th Premier League game, making him the 44th player in league history to reach that number. What’s more impressive is his win rate—Walker would have the joint-highest win percentage of any player to have played 400 games, tying with Manchester United legends Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, and Gary Neville at 64%.

For Fulham, Andreas Pereira has been one of their key players this season. He has created 20 chances so far, second only to Everton’s Dwight McNeil, with five of those opportunities set up for Rodrigo Muniz. However, Muniz has struggled to find the back of the net, despite hitting the target five times this season.

International Break and What’s Next

The upcoming international break will give City some breathing space, allowing injured players like Kevin De Bruyne and Nathan Ake more time to recover. However, Guardiola will be hoping that the rest of his squad returns from international duty without injuries, as the team faces a busy schedule with games in the Premier League, Carabao Cup, and Champions League looming.

City’s aim today is simple: go into the international break unbeaten and maintain their strong position in the league. With the prospect of a historic 50-match unbeaten home run and a chance to continue their fine form, all eyes will be on the Etihad Stadium to see if Guardiola’s men can once again prove their dominance.