This is a Manchester City predicted lineup for their game against Fulham on the final day of the Premier League season. The Cityzens head into the match knowing that a point will mathematically guarantee them a top-five finish and Champions League football for next season. A run of three losses in their last five games means that Marco Silva’s side will not be able to qualify for Europe, but the Cottagers will be looking to finish the season on a high in front of their home fans.
Manchester City Predicted Lineup vs Fulham
How Manchester City Have Lined Up Recently
As expected, Ederson returned in between the sticks for City’s last game, against AFC Bournemouth, after he sat out for the FA Cup final. The Brazilian will make his 369th, and potentially his last, appearance for the Sky Blues if he starts on Sunday.
Pep Guardiola made one change to his defence following the FA Cup final defeat. Matheus Nunes came into the starting XI in place of Nico O’Reilly and the Portuguese made an assist, but was also involved in a mix-up with Ruben Dias, who started at centre-back, that allowed Bournemouth to score their goal. The Portuguese played at right-back as Manuel Akanji shuffled across to the centre of defence and Josko Gvardiol moved to left-back.
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After playing an extremely attacking midfield pairing against Crystal Palace, Guardiola reverted to a more orthodox system against the Cherries. Bernardo Silva kept his place in the centre of the pitch as he scored City’s second goal. The experienced Ilkay Gundogan and Mateo Kovacic came into the team in place of Savinho and Jeremy Doku, but the Croat did not last the full 90 minutes as he was sent off just past the hour mark.
Omar Marmoush retained his place in the starting XI despite missing a crucial penalty against Palace, but he repaid the faith his manager showed in him by scoring a spectacular goal to give City a one-nil lead. Erling Haaland also started up front.
But, the day was about City’s club captain Kevin De Bruyne, who was bidding farewell to fans at the Etihad Stadium after over 400 games and 100 goals in Sky Blue. The Belgian played alongside Marmoush in his preferred number 10 position.
Manchester City’s Recent Form and Tactics
The Cityzens showed good character by bouncing back from two poor performances against Southampton and Palace to secure a comfortable victory against a Bournemouth side who have consistently upset big six teams this campaign. The result means that City have still lost just once since the March international break. This strong run of form has seen them gain the ascendancy in the race for the top five positions. They sit on 68 points from their 37 league games, giving them a two-point advantage over sixth-placed Aston Villa.
Their improved defensive solidity has been key to this turnaround in form. Guardiola has largely been able to select a settled defence with Nunes, Dias, Gvardiol and O’Reilly playing the vast majority of minutes since March. The Sky Blues have only conceded more than one goal once in their last 15 games in all competitions, a run which stretches back until late February.
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Guardiola slightly tweaked his tactical system once again against Bournemouth. He went from deploying an ultra-attacking 4-2-4 formation against Crystal Palace to using a more balanced 4-3-3 against Bournemouth, though the two “wingers” essentially played as attacking midfielders when in possession. It remains to be seen whether this change was made simply to get the best out of De Bruyne on his farewell, or if the system has any long-term viability. But, the Catalan has not found a clear way of playing all season.
Manchester City Injuries to Consider
Tuesday’s game against Bournemouth brought excellent news on the injury front for City fans. Nathan Ake was in the matchday squad for the first time since early March and Oscar Bobb made a brief appearance off the bench, his first in five weeks.
Most importantly, City’s midfield dynamo Rodri returned to action after just under eight months on the sidelines due to an anterior cruciate ligament injury. Despite Kovacic’s suspension, Guardiola has said that Rodri is not ready to start on Sunday.
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Unfortunately, Guardiola confirmed that John Stones will not be fit to play against Fulham, meaning that City fans will have to wait until the commencement of the Club World Cup in mid-June to see the Englishman back in action. Phil Foden has also revealed that he has been suffering from an ankle injury this campaign and, given the number of players the Cityzens currently have available, there may be a chance that the attacker will be rested on Sunday.
Manchester City Predicted Lineup Vs Fulham
GK: Ederson
RB: Matheus Nunes
CB: Ruben Dias
CB: Josko Gvardiol
LB: Nico O’Reilly
CM: Ilkay Gundogan
CM: Nico Gonzalez
CM: Bernardo Silva
RAM: Kevin De Bruyne
LAM: Omar Marmoush
ST: Erling Haaland