With two match weeks to play, just one point separates Manchester City from the table leaders Arsenal, although the blue and white do have a game in hand.
This weekend, Manchester City heads to Craven Cottage to take on Fulham.
With a win, the blue and white head to the top of the table for at least 24 hours, and they will stay there if the Gunners fail to capture three points on Sunday against Manchester United.
Last Week’s Manchester City Action
Manchester City extended their Premier League winning streak to seven as they defeated Wolves 5-1.
Erling Haaland led the Manchester City attack, scoring four goals for the first time in his Premier League career, while Julian Alvarez netted the other for the blue and white.
Manchester City conceded for the first time since April 13 against Luton Town when Hwang Hee-Chan scored in the 53rd minute, but the game was already out of hand at that point.
Fulham is coming off a scoreless West London Derby against Brentford.
The Cottagers had the game’s best scoring chance when Raúl Jiménez missed a golden opportunity, sending a strike over the crossbar despite having time and space to set up.
Bernd Leno registered two saves en route to his 11th clean sheet.
The Matchup
After last week’s results, Manchester City improved to 25-3-7 (82 points), while Fulham sits at 12-8-16 (44 points). This will be the 74th matchup between these two sides, with the blue and white leading the all-time series 40-16-17.
The last time the result was anything other than a Manchester City victory was September 18, 2011, when the two sides played to a 2-2 draw.
While this may seem like it is destined to be another three points for the blue and white, Fulham’s best form has come when they are playing at the Cottage, as nine of their 12 wins have come at home, including victories over top clubs Arsenal, Tottenham and West Ham.
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The X-Factor
The biggest factor in this matchup will be how Fulham’s backline can defend Haaland, arguably the best striker in the world.
The 23-year-old has taken a step back from his 36-goal campaign but still has a four-goal lead over Cole Palmer, who has 21 goals, in the Golden Boot race.
Center-backs Issa Diop and Calvin Bassey will be responsible for marking Haaland, and if they can limit his production, the Cottagers could have a fighting chance of capturing at least a point.
Kick-off is scheduled for 7:30 a.m. EST on Saturday.