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| Fulham will hope to send their fans off with a good result against Manchester City at the Craven Cottage but, will City allow the hosts to derail their title bid? (Photo credit: TalkSport) |
Fans of Arsenal and anyone who has a problem with Manchester City winning their sixth Premier League title in seven years and their fourth on the bounce will pay close attention to this game, wearing the white shirt of Fulham in solidarity with the cause against the champions.
Manchester City has just one job: win all three of your remaining games. Whatever Arsenal decides to do won’t matter, but should they drop points anywhere, they would need the Gunners to do the same for them to retain their title.
Fulham, on paper, isn’t a side Manchester City should be wary of; Marco Silva’s side can be troublesome on their days, but the firepower in the Manchester City side is enough to beat anyone in the land. It will be an interesting game.
The tricky side of this game is the fact that it’s the last home game for the Lilywhites, and, as we all know, every team tries to send off their fans on a high to give them a memorable feeling for the long break ahead before normal business resumes in the summer.
Pep Guardiola confirms he has a fit squad to prosecute the trip to London, and speaking of the capital city, the Citizens must beat London clubs to deny Arsenal—another London club—the title, with West Ham and Tottenham still to play after Fulham.
A top-ten finish is still mathematically possible for Fulham, but it's a little unrealistic, as they must win their two remaining games and hope the teams in front of them lose their games. At this point, it's more of a source of pride for the hosts than anything else.
How will Manchester City line up? Pep Guardiola will not take chances; he will field his full strength. Expect another Phil Foden and Kevin De Bruyne masterclass, with Erling Haaland poised to run riot again as he did last weekend.
Fulham manager Marco Silva confirmed that Sasa Lukic will not be available due to a calf problem, but everyone else is fit to play. Arsenal fans are hopeful that Willian and Alex Iwobi will return the favor to their former club, but the outcome remains uncertain.
Manchester City has a game against Tottenham in midweek to prepare for, but it is not a reason for them not to come up strongly against Fulham. It’s dicey, as anyone can have a bad day, but Arsenal might wait for another game to hope on, not this one.