Predicted Starting Line-Up: Fulham vs Manchester City (Premier League) | OneFootball

Following Saturday afternoon’s thrilling 3-2 victory against Leeds United, Manchester City will travel to Craven Cottage to face Fulham in a midweek affair.

City come into Tuesday’s fixture after a tense victory against 18th placed Leeds as Phil Foden’s 91st minute winner was the highlight of an action-packed clash having threatened to throw away what many anticipated to be a routine win.

The win will likely not be remembered fondly, with Foden himself branding the team as “not good enough from start to finish”. Despite difficulties, there were huge positives to be taken as worries of being over-reliant on Erling Haaland eased in what was one of City’s most efficient attacking performances, with 2.39 xG produced in the first-half alone.

The Blues’ next fixture comes in the form of Fulham who currently sit 15th in the Premier League. The Cottagers have won their last two games in the top-flight, beating high-flying Sunderland and London rivals, Tottenham.

Fulham have been inconsistent this season, but with three wins from their last five, they are certainly not to be taken lightly, especially with Saturday’s fixture acting as a cautionary tale on complacency.

With Sunderland and Real Madrid fast approaching across the Premier League and UEFA Champions League schedule, the whole squad will have a part to play as Manchester City navigate some deceptively tricky fixtures.

Here’s how we think Pep Guardiola and Manchester City will line-up on Tuesday night!

Predicted XI

Gianluigi Donnarumma runs the risk of losing his starting place due to suspension after picking up a fourth yellow card on Saturday afternoon, but until he picks up a fifth there is no reason to drop him in a game like this.

The Italian shot-stopper could not have done a whole lot about either goal conceded on the weekend, and even added a penalty save to his ever-growing Manchester City highlight reel albeit conceding the rebound.

Despite an extremely clumsy mistake to hand Leeds their first goal, Matheus Nunes was again a key component to City’s win with the assist for Phil Foden’s opener. His performances this season have made him close to undroppable, and he should retain his spot.

Ruben Dias has been one of City’s highest performers of late, with his leadership crucial as the Blues continue to chase Arsenal down. The Portuguese international has formed a formidable partnership with Josko Gvardiol, and both are likely to start here.

Nico O’Reilly grabbed an assist against Leeds and was defensively assured even when the rest of the team looked wildly disorganised. There is no stopping the academy graduate as he goes from strength to strength in the left-back position.

Nico Gonzalez has become almost as irreplaceable as Rodri has been in past years. In the Ballon D’or winner’s absence, his compatriot will continue to start. The 23-year-old has earned a starting spot on merit alone as he continues to perform admirably, but with Rodri and Mateo Kovacic both sidelined here, there is really no one else in contention.

With two crucial goals on Saturday, Phil Foden’s involvement on Tuesday night is almost guaranteed. The England international has looked revitalised this season as he improves week in week out, and keeping him involved and confident is a must as fixtures pile up.

Bernardo Silva has partnered up brilliantly with the 25-year-old in the centre of the park and adds some much-needed experience to an otherwise relatively young Manchester City team across the roles.

Rayan Cherki was introduced as a substitute on Saturday afternoon and immediately showed why he was brought into the team. His creativity was once again key as he assisted Foden’s stoppage-time winner.

With Savinho and Oscar Bobb both struggling for form when granted opportunities by their manager, it seems fair that the French international playmaker should get the nod for this one, perhaps operating from the wide-right position.

Erling Haaland is on the hunt for his 100th Premier League goal after blanking in his last three games. With his mind-blowing goalscoring record, his place as a starter is all but guaranteed, regardless of his recent quiet spell.

Jeremy Doku’s electric performances and increased goal involvements have seen him become one of the first names on the team sheet for City. The Belgian was as busy as ever against Leeds, and he shows no signs of slowing down. With 22 appearances, a rest is due soon, although his performances make him a very hard man to drop.

Starting XI: Donnarumma; Nunes, Dias, Gvardiol, O’Reilly; Nico, Bernardo, Foden; Cherki, Haaland, Doku.

Substitutes: Trafford, Khusanov, Stones, Ake, Ait-Nouri, Reijnders, Bobb, Savinho, Marmoush.