“Good luck” – Mark Lawrenson makes his prediction ahead of Manchester City vs Fulham
Former Liverpool defender Mark Lawrenson believes Manchester City will steamroll over Fulham this weekend (November 5) in their latest Premier League encounter.
The Cityzens are on an excellent run of form heading into the clash, losing just one Premier League game so far this season. Pep Guardiola's side will temporarily go top of the table should they win, with current leaders Arsenal not playing until Sunday.
40 - Kevin De Bruyne has been directly involved in 40 goals in 41 games for Manchester City in 2022 (16 goals, 24 assists), more than any other Premier League player.
40 - Kevin De Bruyne
38 - Harry Kane
32 - Mohamed Salah
27 - Son Heung-min
25 - James Maddison
King. https://t.co/ZXyXeQtMEi
Manchester City host a newly-promoted Fulham side who have so far defied expectations in the league. They currently sit seventh on 19 points from 13 games. However, their recent record against the Sky Blues is atrocious and Lawrenson believes they will lose heavily on Saturday.
Speaking to Paddy Power, the Liverpool legend predicted a 4-0 victory for the champions at the Etihad Stadium, as he stated:
"Good luck, Fulham! This will be another big Manchester City win. I know City only won 1-0 at Leicester but you know what they’re like at home. They’re through in the Champions League and it looks like they’re on one of those unstoppable rolls."
Oh hello, @ErlingHaaland! 👀👋 https://t.co/O1nM4cc8hR
Pep Guardiola explains why Phil Foden has been on the bench for Manchester City in recent games
With the absence of Erling Haaland in City's two most recent encounters, Guardiola is trying his best to protect his squad from further injuries. Phil Foden has been benched for the Cityzens' games against Brighton & Hove Albion and Leicester City.
Guardiola heavily rotated his team for the Champions League tie with Sevilla on November 2.
Guardiola insisted that Foden was not out of the team due to lack of form. He stated that some players need to be rested during this relentless pre-World Cup schedule. The Spaniard told a press conference (as per Manchester City's official website):
“Him [Foden] and Riyad [Mahrez] have been on the bench as well, Jack Grealish too. Bernardo Silva has been on the bench, [Ilkay] Gundogan has been on the bench and Kevin De Bruyne has been on the bench, everyone."
He added:
“It’s not an issue, I have many players and I have to use them. I demand the best of them, I want the best of them, and this is going to happen in the future. Always it has been like that, it’s not that you play because you play. In Dortmund, for example, we played to qualify first [in the Champions League group stages]. We know how important it was, but Kevin De Bruyne didn’t play one minute. It happens.”
#OTD in 2017: A teenage @PhilFoden wows in the #U17WC final 🏴 🏆
Now: His first #FIFAWorldCup is less than a month away! 🙌 https://t.co/vFB0efsI3T