Manchester City
Manchester City Reuters

Manchester City welcome Fulham to the Etihad, with the defending champions keen to cut Manchester United's lead at the top of the Premier League table.

Where to Watch

Kick-off is set for 3pm GMT. You can watch highlights on Match of the Day on BBC One and BBC One HD at 10.30pm GMT. Live radio commentary is available on BBC 5 Live.

Overview

Sir Alex Ferguson's men have a seven-point advantage at the top but the Citizens now have a chance to reduce the gap to four and put pressure on their neighbours, ahead of United's tricky visit to Tottenham Hotspur.

After their 3-2 defeat at home to United last month, Roberto Mancini's side have found some momentum, winning six of their last seven games in all competitions, including straight wins over Norwich City, Stoke City and Arsenal in the league.

Fulham, on the other hand, are struggling for form and consistency, with just two wins in their last 14 top flight matches. The Cottagers are 13th in the Premier League table, six points clear of the drop zone. However, Martin Jol and his players found some relief midweek when they beat Championship outfit Blackpool in extra time in an FA Cup third-round replay.

In the reverse fixture in September, City beat Fulham 2-1, thanks to goals from Kun Aguero and Edin Dzeko, after Mladen Petric gave the Cottagers the lead.

Form Guide

Manchester City

  • Last Five Matches (all competitions, most recent first): W W W W L
  • Last Match: Arsenal 0-2 Manchester City

Fulham

  • Last Five Matches (all competitions, most recent first): W D D W L
  • Last Match: Blackpool 1-2 Fulham

Team News

Manchester City: Mancini will have captain Vincent Kompany available after his red card against the Gunners was rescinded. Samir Nasri returns after serving a three-match suspension, while both Aguero and Jack Rodwell have recovered from hamstring injuries and are in contention.

However, City are missing Yaya and Kolo Toure, along with youngster Abdul Razak, who are with the Ivory Coast squad at the Africa Cup of Nations. Meanwhile, Micah Richards and Maicon (both knee) remain sidelined.

Probable Starting Line-up: (4-2-3-1) Hart; Zabaleta, Kompany, Nastasic, Clichy; Milner, Barry; Silva, Tevez, Nasri; Dzeko

Fulham: Bryan Ruiz and Steve Sidwell have recovered from their hamstring issues and are available for selection. But Mahamadou Diarra (knee), Kerim Frei (groin) and Simon Davies (hip) are still out.

Probable Starting Line-up: (4-4-1-1) Schwarzer; Riether, Hangeland, Hughes, Richardson; Duff, Sidwell, Karagounis, Kacaniklic; Ruiz; Berbatov