Fulham were magnificent in ousting Juventus in the Europa League on Thursday and I think they can continue their excellent recent run on the weekend versus Manchester City.
In rallying from 4-1 down to knock out the tournament favourites, Fulham produced a truly memorable performance to reach the last eight and it has been their strong home form all season that has seen the London club establish themselves as a force.
Before the Serie A giants succumbed at Craven Cottage, Roy Hodgson had already guided his troops to thumping wins over Manchester United and Liverpool in the Premier League, scoring three goals on both occasions, and now the Englishman must pit his wits against Roberto Mancini.
Fulham have not played a top flight match on home soil for a month now, when they registered a 2-1 win over Birmingham, but they’ve conceded just nine goals at Craven Cottage all season, only Manchester United have a better defensive record, and take on a City side far from convincing on their travels.
Winning just four of 15 matches away from Eastlands could ultimately be what costs Mancini’s men a Champions League spot next season and they are certainly susceptible at the back on their travels. City have conceded 22 goals away from home, the most of any team in the top eight, and were lacklustre in their latest outing at the Stadium of Light.
The Citizens required an excellent Adam Johnson strike late on to grab a share of the spoils against Sunderland and while they were impressive when triumphing at Stamford Bridge prior to that, Carlos Tevez and Craig Bellamy each netting a brace, defeats at the likes of Hull City underline their consistency.
These two shared four goals when the pair met earlier in the season and a similar score line wouldn’t surprise. Clint Dempsey, the hero against Juventus, got the equaliser for Fulham that day and his return from injury has been a huge boost for Hodgson, in particular with Danny Murphy on the sidelines.
Given how consistent Fulham have been at Craven Cottage this season, and last, I find it surprising that the away team are favourites, despite sitting 12 points clear of Saturday’s opponents, and I am more than happy to take them on at 2.40. A point probably suits both, and an entertaining draw is the outcome that appears most likely.
2pts Lay Man City (vs. Fulham) @ 2.40 (Betfair)