Fulham vs Manchester City live: Where to watch on Dec 21, 2013

Topics: Live Stream, TV Schedules, Live Scores, Fulham, Manchester City, English Premier League

A struggling Fulham side will welcome rampant Manchester City to the Craven Cottage as Rene Meulsteen looks to avoid a thrashing at the hands of the Citizens.

Preview: Pellegrini hoping for a strong away performance

A 6-3 mauling of league leaders Arsenal ensured City maintain their perfect home record in the league. But it is their stuttering away form which has deprived them of the top spot and the sky blues will be hoping to give a dominant performance in order to better their position in the table.

Man City announced themselves as serious title contenders as they ran riot at the Etihad last week. After scoring six goals against Tottenham, City were now to torment their North London rivals Arsenal who before then match had the best defensive record in the league but ended up conceding six to Manuel Pellegrini’s side.

Man City now have a chance to extend their eight match unbeaten run which has seen them defeat the likes of Bayern Munich and Arsenal, scoring 29 goals in the process. Their unimpressive away form and the absence of talismanic forward Sergio Aguero might be a source of concern for Pellegrini, but Edin Dzeko who scored twice as City defeated Leicester City 3-1 in the Capital One Cup Quarter-Finals ensured the fans and anyone concerned that he is ready to fill in the void created by the Argentinean international.

"Sergio being out is very bad for the team because he has had an amazing season so far," said the Bosnian international.

"He has been scoring a lot of goals and he is obviously a very important player for us."

"But that's life. Now we have to try to play games without him, and try to keep winning. I am a striker that has scored goals all my life and I love to do it. When I get a chance I try to do my best."

With a plethora of talent at Pellegrini’s expense should the Chilean not choose to play Dzeko upfront he has the likes of Alvaro Negredo and Stevan Jovetic who can deputize instead.

Apart from a talented forward line, Man City is further blessed with a powerful midfield. Whereas the likes of Yaya Toure, Samir Nasir, David Silva and Fernandinho have been impressive all season James Milner’s blistering performances have further given Pellegrini a selection head ache and it will be interesting to see whether the former Aston Villa man is given a start on Saturday.

Fulham’s abysmal run in the league saw former manager Martin Jol relieved of his duties and Meulsteen’s arrival has not been pleasant either. The cottagers are currently 19th in the league table following a 4-1 hammering at the hands of Everton last Saturday.

The Whites will have to take advantage of City’ inconsistent away form which will give them a major boost in their survival bid. Fulham face relegation contenders Norwich City, Hull City and West Ham in their subsequent matches and a strong performance against City will put them in a buoyant mood for what is expected to be a busy fortnight.

The Cottagers will however have history against them having failed to score a victory over the Citizens in their last eight meetings. Their home form against City is not impressive either and the last time the Lilywhites scored a victory over their counterparts was back in November 2005.

Both Hugo Rodallega (groin) and Brede Hangeland (back) ruled out of the home fixture with Fernando Amorebieta a doubt for Saturday’s encounter.

Along with Sergio Aguero, compatriot Pablo Zabaleta has also been ruled out of the trip to Fulham whereas Micah Richards is a serious doubt. However Jovetic and Matija Nastasic are likely to return to the squad.