Fulham Vs Manchester City Prediction: Champions League Ticket Competition In Last Party

Kevin De Bruyne will feature the captain's armband in his 42nd and final appearance for City (photo: x @mancity)

JAKARTA - Manchester City will have their Premier League closing match for the 2024-2025 season by visiting Fulham's headquarters at Craven Cottage on Sunday 25 May evening WIB. This match is becoming very important for The Citizens who are struggling to secure tickets to the Champions League next season.

City came to London in a fairly safe position in third place in the standings. Victory over Bournemouth with a score of 3-1 in the middle of the week was a positive turning point for Pep Guardiola's men, just three days after they experienced disappointment over losing again in the FA Cup final, this time from Crystal Palace.

In the last match at the Etihad, Kevin De Bruyne appeared in his farewell match and despite wasting a golden opportunity in the first half, he still received great respect from fans. Goals from Omar Marmoush, Bernardo Silva, and Nico Gonzalez confirmed three important points that make City now two points ahead of Newcastle United, Chelsea, and Aston Villa who trailed under him.

Victory over Fulham will ensure City finish third, and even if the chance to win second place is still mathematically open, it can only happen if Arsenal surprisingly lose to Southampton and there is a difference of nine goals in goal difference. If Arsenal had at least won a draw, then this would be Guardiola's second time finishing outside the top two for 16 seasons of his career as coach at the highest level after previously finishing third in his debut season with City (2016-17).

This season is not the best season for Manchester City, which has the potential to close the season without major trophies for the first time in seven years. However, finishing in the top five and winning Champions League tickets will be a separate entertainer for loyal supporters of The Citizens.

Armed with unbeaten records in the last nine league games (6 wins, 3 draws), and a perfect record over Fulham in the last 17 meetings in all competitions, City are clearly favorites to win. Last season, they even won 4-0 at Craven Cottage's making their streak of winning over Fulham the longest in history between two English teams in the league.

On the other hand, Fulham actually had a dream of qualifying for European competition this season. However, an inconsistent performance in the last 10 matches with six defeats made that hope disappear. However, last week's 3-2 win over Brentford gave its own spirit to Marco Silva's men.

Goals from Raul Jimenez, Harry Wilson, and captain Tom Cairney confirmed Fulham set their record high points in a Premier League season of 54 points, just two years after promotion from Championship.

Currently, Fulham is in 10th place in the standings and it is impossible to catch up with Brighton who are in eighth position. However, they can still match or even surpass Brentford in ninth place, depending on the result of the other matches. The defeat could bring Fulham down to 12th, if Bournemouth and Crystal Palace both win in the last game.

Fulham has a bad history against City. They have never won in the last 19 meetings in the Premier League, with 16 defeats and only three draws. Their last win over City came more than a decade ago, to be precise April 2009 at the Etihad Stadium.

The condition of the Fulham squad is not entirely ideal. Timothy Castagne was absent due to ankle surgery, while Rodrigo Muniz, Harrison Reed, and Reiss Nelson also had to be sidelined due to injury. Tom Cairney, whose contract expires this summer and is linked to Wrexham, may play his last game for the club.

He has the opportunity to start again, replacing Emile Smith Rowe in midfield. On the front lines, Raul Jimenez almost certainly fell from the start. This Mexican striker has scored 12 goals in the league this season, all in a crucial situation nine times bringing the team ahead, and three times equalizing.

Manchester City is also not free from player problems. Mateo Kovacic had to miss out on a red card in the last game, while John Stones was still in a thigh injury. However, Nathan Ake and Oscar Bobb are back fit and ready to play. Rodri, who only came back after eight months of being sidelined with an ACL injury, will most likely not start even though it is available.

Nico Gonzalez or Bernardo Silva are expected to fill Kovacic's position in midfield, duet with Ilkay Gundogan. If Bernardo is pulled further into the middle, then Phil Foden who is having an ankle problem is likely to be rested, and the wing position can be filled by Svinho or Jeremy Doku.

Kevin De Bruyne will almost certainly carry the armband in his 42nd and final appearance for City before leaving the club in the summer.

Fulham will hope to put up a tight fight in front of Craven Cottage's public, but in terms of quality and motivation, City are predicted to perform optimally to ensure a place in the Champions League. This match is also the final test for both of them, whether Fulham is able to close their historic season with a sweet record, or City is actually finishing the difficult season with certainty of a place in elite European competitions.

Prediction Of Player Formation

Fulham : Leno; Tete, Andersen, Bassey, Robinson; Lukic, Berge; Wilson, Cairney, Iwobi; Jimenez

Manchester City: Ederson; Nunes, Dias, Akanji, Gvardiol; Bernardo, Gundogan; Savinho, De Bruyne, Marmoush; Haaland