The last game of March suddenly looms on the horizon and Manchester City sit on the cusp of a tremendous season.
Back when the season started every single Manchester City fan would have gladly accepted their current position at the end of March. Having won the League Cup and still in the Semi Finals of the FA Cup, still in the Quarter Finals of the Champions and second in the Premier League with a crucial game in hand. To have achieved this given some significant injury disruption to their squad is all the more formidable.
On Saturday, City resume their Premier League campaign following a 2 week International break. This break has seen 11 of the first team squad jet off around the World and compete in further matches but has also seen a number of players gain some welcome respite from the action. Those players left out of International action through injury have had a chance to regain fitness and all of this means our squad for the fulham game could be the fullest it has been all season.
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This full squad will provide some problems for Guardiola as he will have to assess the match fitness of his players before deciding which personnel should join him on the trip to London to face Fulham. Will Guardiola seek to keep faith with the players who have performed so well in recent weeks or will he shuffle his pack? A little of both I would expect.
I would expect the defence to be geared to withstand the expected physical power presented by Mitrovic upfront for Fulham. I suspect that will mean Laporte and Kompany at centre back with Walker and Zinchenko on the flanks.
Fernandinho will return in the defensive midfield role and Bernardo Silva and David Silva will start just in front, making a dynamic midfield capable of scampering away with the ball. The attack will likely comprise our form players – Sane, Sterling and Aguero. Guardiola will know racing into an early and dominant lead against Fulham will allow nerves to be eased and the pressure to be placed back onto Liverpool in the race for the title.
Fulham are on a poor run of form having won only one match so far this year. Of course these bad runs have to be eventually broken sometime but it should not be against a rampant Manchester City side, even if the cobwebs of the two week International break are upon them. City must win this game against one of the poorest sides we have seen in the Premier League in order to maintain their challenge for the title. I am sure City will drop points in this endeavour over the coming weeks but it cannot be against Fulham without it severely damaging our ambition.
Predicted Manchester City Starting XI
Goalkeeper
Ederson
Defence
Walker, Kompany, Laporte, Zinchenko
Midfield
Fernandinho, Bernardo, Silva
Attack
Sane, Aguero, Sterling