Manchester City will host Championship side Fulham in the fourth round of the FA Cup on Saturday afternoon, marking their return to play after the international break. To get this far, Pep Guardiola’s side beat Swindon Town 4-1 in the third round, while their second-tier opponents beat Bristol City 1-0. Manchester City takes on Fulham in the fourth round of the FA Cup at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday, pitting the current leaders of the top and second tiers of English football against one other.
Fulham are presently in first place in the EFL Championship, with 58 points from 28 games, and will hope to continue their strong run in the cup tournament and trigger a significant shock. Manchester City’s hot streak in the Premier League came to an end last time out as they were beaten to a 1-1 draw by a tenacious Southampton team. The Cityzens had been on a 12-game winning streak dating back to a 2-0 setback to Crystal Palace in October.
Manchester City have now shifted their attention to the FA Cup, where they won their first game 4-1 against Swindon Town on January 7. Fulham, meanwhile, began their cup campaign with a 1-0 win over Bristol City after extra time on January 8. They come into Saturday’s game off the back of a 1-1 tie with Blackpool, which put a stop to their five-game winning streak. Fulham have lost all 11 meetings against Pep Guardiola’s side and will be anxious to put an end to their dreadful streak.
Anything can happen in sports, as the old adage goes, but it would take a catastrophic collapse for Man City to lose their Premier League championship currently, even if they did drop two points against Southampton in their most recent game. Man City’s eight-game winning streak in all competitions came to an end with a Kyle Walker-Peters shocker, but they still have a nine-point advantage over Liverpool despite having played one more game.
Since City put four past Swindon in the FA Cup third round last month, there was no shortage of offensive flair, but the passing of the torch may have occurred with Julian Alvarez’s capture, as Sergio Aguero’s fellow Argentine remains on loan at River Plate for the time being. Guardiola is accustomed to winning Premier League crowns and EFL Cups, and while he has only won one FA Cup during his time at the Etihad Stadium, Man City has never been knocked out before the fifth round under his guidance.
The Premier League leaders also welcome Fulham to the Etihad, where they have won each of their past eight home games in all competitions. Fulham, on the other hand, should be glad for the practise on City’s turf if their promotion push is successful. Fulham can refocus their energies on their promotion push now that a late Liverpool agreement for teenage prodigy Fabio Carvalho fell through just before the deadline, as the 19-year-old potential will almost definitely expect to play Premier League football next season.
The Premier League leaders also welcome Fulham to the Etihad, where they have won each of their past eight home games in all competitions. Fulham, on the other hand, should be glad for the practise on City’s turf if their promotion push is successful. Fulham can refocus their energies on their promotion push now that a late Liverpool agreement for teenage prodigy Fabio Carvalho fell through just before the deadline, as the 19-year-old potential will almost definitely expect to play Premier League football next season.
Following Algeria’s relegation from the Africa Cup of Nations, Riyad Mahrez was given a week off, but should return here, while Ederson and Gabriel Jesus – the latter of whom is not fully fit – will be late returnees from Brazil duty. Cole Palmer is expected to miss another match, while Oleksandr Zinchenko is uncertain due to an injury, therefore Joao Cancelo might start at left-back from the start.
Guardiola was impressive against Swindon and will likely be again against the Championship leaders, however Zack Steffen may expect to start in goal after seemingly shrugging off a back problem. In the meanwhile, Fulham are free to give Liverpool loanee Neco Williams his Fulham debut this weekend, especially now that Denis Odoi has joined Club Brugge and Jean Michael Seri has returned from AFCON duty.
Ivan Cavaleiro is fit after a groyne problem, although Terence Kongolo and Kenny Tete are both in the medical bay. Mitrovic and Harry Wilson both recovered from illnesses to play the full 90 minutes against Blackpool, while Ivan Cavaleiro is fit after a groyne problem. For Fulham, Paulo Gazzaniga will try to unseat Marek Rodak in goal, while Carvalho will remain in the number 10 role behind 28-goal main man Mitrovic. Bobby Reid and Antonee Robinson, on the other hand, have yet to return from international service and are currently unavailable.
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