Ederson, Ruben Dias, Mateo Kovacic, Jack Grealish and Bernardo all return, while Stefan Ortega Moreno, John Stones, Matheus Nunes, Jeremey Doku and Savinho all make way.
Teams
CITY | Ederson, Lewis, Akanji, Dias (C), Gvardiol, Kovacic, Gundogan, Bernardo, Foden, Grealish, Haaland
Subs: Ortega Moreno, Carson, Walker, Stones, Doku, Savinho, Nunes, McAtee
FULHAM | Leno, Tete, Andersen, Bassey, Robinson, Lukic, Berge, Pereira, Traore, Iwobi, Jimenez
Formation: 4-3-3
In front of Ederson, Rico Lewis will resume right-back duties and Josko Gvardiol will start on the left.
Dias and Manuel Akanji are our central defenders with Kovacic and – possibly – Ilkay Gundogan providing a double defensive midfield pivot.
If that’s the case, expect Phil Foden to play as a No.10, with Bernardo and Jack Grealish supporting Erling Haaland as a forward trio.
International rescue?
Another international break means we will return in a fortnight having played only seven Premier League matches.
However, the two-week break will allow Kevin De Bruyne and Nathan Ake to continue their rehabilitation and perhaps be ready to return to action.
Of course, we need our boys on international duty to return free of injury with a plethora of games in the league, Carabao Cup and Champions League on the horizon.
If the Blues can go into the break unbeaten and still in second place, it will have been an excellent start to the new campaign.
50 not out?
If City avoid defeat this afternoon, it will take our unbeaten run at home to 50 matches – an incredible feat.
It’s a record only three other sides have managed – Liverpool, Chelsea and Sunderland.
Of course, on paper, people will look at Fulham and imagine we couldn’t be facing a better opponent given we have won our last 16 games against the West London side.
But, of course, football doesn’t always work like that and it’s worth remembering that Fulham were once something of a bogey side here at the Etihad, winning three times between 2006 and 2009.
And Fulham have made an impressive start this season, bought well in the summer and will arrive here in confident mood.
Records are there to be broken – but fingers crossed the Blues reaching a half-century of games without loss on home soil is not one of them.
Stats, facts and milestones
City have won each of their last 16 meetings with Fulham in all competitions, the longest winning run one English league side has had against another in history.
Three of Fulham’s four Premier League wins against City have come at the Etihad Stadium (2006, 2008 and 2009). However, they’re winless in their last 18 against them in the league (D3 L15), losing each of the last 13 in a row.
City have won a penalty in each of their last six Premier League meetings with Fulham, the longest run one side has had against another in the competition’s history. The Citizens have scored all six of these spot kicks in this run.
City are unbeaten in their last 49 home games in all competitions (W40 D9) since a 2-1 loss to Brentford in November 2022. They would be the fourth different English top-flight team to go 50+ without defeat at home after Liverpool (85 between 1978-1981), Chelsea (74, 2006-2008 and 58, 2004-2006) and Sunderland (50, 1890-1893).
City are unbeaten in their last 29 Premier League games (W23 D6), and if they avoid defeat in this match it will equal their longest run without defeat in their league history (30 games between April 2017 and January 2018).
Since losing their opening Premier League game of the season 1-0 at Man Utd, Fulham are now unbeaten in their last five (W3 D2). They last had a longer run without defeat in the competition between August and October 2010 (7).
City have drawn their last two Premier League games despite opening the scoring in both (2-2 v Arsenal, 1-1 v Newcastle). The last time they failed to win three consecutive league games despite scoring first in each was in December/January in 2003-04 (D2 L1).
Erling Haaland has scored 60 goals in just 52 games in all competitions at the Etihad Stadium for City. He’s already the fourth-highest goal-scorer at the ground since it opened in 2003.
If he plays, this will be City defender Kyle Walker’s 400th Premier League game, the 44th different player to reach this milestone. Whatever the result in this game, Walker would have the joint-highest win rate of any player with 400 appearances in the competition (64%, level with Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and Gary Neville).
Only Dwight McNeil (21) has created more chances than Fulham’s Andreas Pereira in the Premier League this season (20). Five of these chances have been for Rodrigo Muniz, who has had more shots on target without scoring so far than any other player in the Premier League this term (5).
