Fulham vs Manchester City – Match preview and team news

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·25 Mei 2025

Fulham vs Manchester City – Match preview and team news

Manchester City travel to Fulham this afternoon for their final match of the Premier League season.

Despite beating Bournemouth on Tuesday night, City’s place in the Champions League next season is not guaranteed. If they lose at Craven Cottage and Newcastle, Chelsea and Aston Villa all win, they will drop into the Europa League places.

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Pep Guardiola will not have Mateo Kovacic at his disposal after the Croatian was shown a straight red card against Bournemouth. John Stones is the only injured senior player, as Nathan Ake, Oscar Bobb and Rodri were all included in the squad on Tuesday. The latter featured for the first time in eight months after recovering from an anterior cruciate ligament injury.

For the final time in the 24/25 @premierleague season ✊ COME ON, CITY!! 🩵 #ManCity
– Minggu, 25 Mei 2025

Kevin De Bruyne is poised to make his 422nd and final appearance for the club this afternoon, while Jack Grealish has reportedly not travelled to the capital amidst rumours of an exit this summer.

Fulham can secure their place in the top half of the table with a victory over Manchester City.

Marco Silva has no fresh injury concerns to contend with this afternoon. Timothy Castagne, Harrison Reed, Rodrigo Muniz and Reiss Nelson all remain sidelined. The latter hasn’t featured this calendar year and may have played his last game for the Cottagers as he returns to parent club Arsenal.

In his pre-match press conference, the Fulham boss revealed it could be the last game for Brazilian duo Carlos Vinicius and Willian. The pair’s contracts expire in the summer and the club are not expected to offer them a new deal.

Fulham vs Manchester City – Match preview and team news

Form

Fulham: LWLLW

The Cottagers prevailed in a West London derby last weekend as they came from behind to beat Brentford 3-2.

Marco Silva’s substitutions changed the complexion of the contest, as Harry Wilson and Tom Cairney netted off the bench to complete the comeback.

The result continued Fulham’s inconsistent form in 2025. Bizarrely, since 5th January, Silva’s side haven’t drawn a league match. They have lost nine and won eight of their games this calendar year.

A victory could see the west Londoners finish the season in ninth place – which would be their highest position in the top flight for 13 years.

Manchester City: WWDLW

Manchester City swiftly recovered from their FA Cup final heartbreak to conquer Bournemouth during midweek.

Omar Marmoush’s awe-inspiring strike opened the scoring before Bernardo Silva doubled their advantage before the break.

In the second half, both teams had a player sent off, which caused the contest to become stretched. January signing Nico Gonzalez profited from the gaps to net his first goal in English football before Daniel Jebbison netted a late consolation.

It was a strong reaction from the Citizens following their 1-0 defeat to Crystal Palace in the final three days prior.

Last Meeting: Manchester City 3-2 Fulham, Premier League, 5th October 2024

In the reverse fixture, Manchester City edged out Fulham in a 3-2 victory at the Etihad Stadium.

The visitors’ tactics were evident from the first whistle as they looked to punish their opponents on the counter-attack. Following a City corner, Adama Traore skipped past Rico Lewis before bearing down on goal, but his tame finish was blocked by Ederson’s foot.

Marco Silva’s side dealt the first blow as former Manchester United midfielder Andreas Pereria poked in from close range. However, Raul Jimenez deservedly received the majority of the praise for his beautifully crafted back-heeled assist.

Minutes after Traore missed another gilt-edged opportunity, the hosts found an equaliser. Mateo Kovacic’s strike took a decisive deflection off Joachim Andersen and deceived the helpless Bernd Leno.

The Croatian international doesn’t get on the scoresheet often but managed to secure his brace after the interval. On the edge of the box, Kovacic’s sweeping finish arrowed into the corner to give his side the upper hand.

Traore’s wasteful afternoon continued as the pacy winger raced clear on goal again before failing to execute an accurate finish.

Josko Gvardiol’s heroic block from Jimenez’s shot shortly after was crucial, as City grabbed a third with eight minutes remaining.

It was a sumptuous individual effort from second-half substitute Jeremy Doku, who cut inside before unleashing an unstoppable swerving strike.

Rodrigo Muniz halved the deficit in the dying embers to open his account for the season, but his goal proved futile as they couldn’t find a late leveller.

It was a significant result for Pep Guardiola and his players as it was their 30th Premier League game without a defeat, which equalled a club record.

Predicted Lineups

Fulham: Leno; Tete, Andersen, Bassey, Robinson; Cairney, Lukic; Wilson, Smith Rowe, Iwobi; Jimenez.

Manchester City: Ederson; Nunes, Dias, Akanji, Gvardiol; Gonzalez, Gundogan; Doku, De Bruyne, Marmoush; Haaland.

Who is the referee?

Andy Madley will be the match official. Stuart Burt and Craig Taylor will assist him while Jeremy Simpson will be the fourth official. John Brooks will be on VAR duty and Tim Wood will assist him.