Leaving behind two disappointing draws against Arsenal and Newcastle, Man City just returned with a 4-0 victory at Slovan Bratislava in the Champions League in midweek.
The Citizens strikers fired 28 shots, controlling 73% of the ball in a one-sided match. The first three points in the Champions League brought a great mental boost.
Pep Guardiola believes that Man "Blue" is "gradually improving" and is especially pleased that there are no more personnel losses. In addition, some young players also got to play to test their mettle.
Before entering the international break, the defending champions were confident of returning to the winning streak in the Premier League, as they had defeated Fulham in the last 16 confrontations in all competitions.
The problem of not having Rodri and De Bruyne used to give Pep a headache. However, he gradually found a solution, with a small Rico Lewis who played extremely intelligently and aggressively in midfield.
The young English midfielder played most prominently in midweek, providing an assist that tore apart the Bratislava defense for Haaland to score.
As for the away team, Fulham are having their best start in the Premier League since 2003, when they won 11 points after 6 opening matches, rising to 6th place in the rankings.
After losing to MU on the opening day of the Premier League, coach Marco Silva's team is unbeaten in 5 consecutive matches and has won the last two opponents, Newcastle and Nottingham Forest.
Visiting the Etihad is not easy. However, Fulham has fully prepared countermeasures, prioritizing proactive defense and waiting to seize counter-attack opportunities.
Man City: Ederson; Walker, Dias, Akanji, Gavrdiol; Lewis, Kovacic; Silva, Gundogan, Grealish; Haaland
Fulham: Leno; Castagne, Diop, Bassey, Robinson; Lukic, Reed; Iwobi, Pereira, Smith Rowe; Muniz.
