Fulham vs Man City
Premier League 2018-19
Venue: Craven Cottage
Kick-off time: 12:30pm GMT
Fulham face a tall order to kick off this weekend's Premier League action as they bid to prevent Manchester City from going top of the table.
City trail leaders Liverpool by two points, and a win in today's early game at Craven Cottage would see the champions leapfrog Jurgen Klopp's Reds in the title race.
Fulham have endured a disappointing return to the top flight this season, and Scott Parker's side need a near-miracle to avoid relegation after collecting just 17 points from 31 games.
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Fulham vs Man City team news and predicted line-ups
Alfie Mawson and Marcus Bettinelli are both out for Fulham with knee injuries.
Andre Schurrle has recovered from the virus which has sidelined him for more than a month.
The Fulham midfielder has not played since the 3-0 defeat to Manchester United in February but trained over the international break.
Schurrle is on a two-year loan but looks certain to leave if they are relegated and may not feature much in the remaining games as caretaker Scott Parker plans for next season.
As for City, John Stones (groin), Kevin De Bruyne (thigh) and Fernandinho (groin) are closing in on returns, though Nicolas Otamendi (ankle), Fabian Delph and Benjam Mendy (knee) will have to be assessed. Vincent Kompany and Claudio Bravo remain sidelined.
Fulham XI: Rico, Fosu-Mensah, Chambers, Ream, Bryan, Cairney, Anguissa, Seri, Ayite, Mitrovic, Babel
Man City XI: Ederson, Walker, Laporte, Stones, Danilo, Gundogan, Fernandinho, De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva, Sterling, Aguero
Score prediction: Fulham 1-4 Man City
If City are on form, things could get very ugly for Fulham. The champions have scored 79 goals this season, and Fulham have conceded 70, so it is difficult to see anything beyond a stroll for the away side.
Guardiola's men will be focused with the prospect of going top on offer, and given how close the title race is, City will want to rack up the goals to build their superior goal difference over Liverpool.
