Preview: Can Fulham pull off a shocking victory against one of the favorites for the Premier League title?
Manchester City has three games in hand; they sit only six points behind league leaders Chelsea. Following a shocking elimination at the hands of Wigan in the FA Cup, City has only one competition to play for. This gives them a head start on all their opponents for the title aside from Liverpool. Also, Roberto Mancini’s reign came to an end following a defeat against Wigan in the FA Cup. Manuel Pellegrini has been brought in to improve on Mancini’s results. Mancini did not win the league last season; he can improve on his predecessor’s 2012-13 record by handing the Barclays Premier League trophy to the fans.
Fulham is a team fighting for some much needed air at this point. They are currently under their third manager of the season, Felix Magath. Magath has a proven track record in German of being a “fire fighter”. He has the uncanny ability of saving teams from relegation. Fulham’s survival was looking more and more unlikely with each passing match-day until they beat Newcastle. Some of Magath’s team selections have been rather bizarre nonetheless even though this is hardly the time for experiments for the German.
Both teams have quite a few injury troubles to deal with. City will be without Vincent Kompany; Kompany is suspended. Matija Nastasic and Micah Richards are both doubtful. Sergio Aguero is also a doubt; he is always needed by City. The colorful Stevan Jovetic is also a doubt for City. Fulham needs experienced stars on the pitch. Thus, the absences of Damien Duff and Giorgios Karagounis will definitely hurt the team. Kostas Mitroglu is dealing with a minor knee problem; he should return for this one. Matthew Briggs and Scott Parker are doubtful for this game.
City is coming into this match on the back of a victory against Hull City. Can Fulham, following a morale boosting victory over Newcastle, cause an upset at the Etihad?
Where to watch the match: Live Streams, Live Scores, Start Times, TV Channels:
Watch Manchester City vs Fulham live on Saturday, March 22, 2014:
In Canada at 11:00 ET on TSN GO, TalkSport Radio, RDS 2, TSN2
In the UK at 15:00 GMT on BBC Manchester, TalkSport Radio, Absolute Radio
In the USA at 11:00 ET on TalkSport Radio, NBC Sports Live Extra, Directv, Premier League Extra Time
Viewers in India can tune into Star Sports 2 India to watch the match.
For the complete TV listings and live scores upon kick-off, visit the City-Fulham match page.
