City to dry up as they feel the heat

Manchester City will rock up at Craven Cottage on Saturday hoping to continue where they left off before the international break but it may not be as easy as many expect.

The form tells its own story

As you’d expect Manchester City’s form has been very impressive this season though they have not been as imperious as some were predicting when they went on a run of 15 games unbeaten at the start of the campaign.

A brief wobble in December saw them lose three times in four games, handing the initiative to Liverpool. They have since wrestled that advantage back and will now be aiming to take maximum points from their remaining eight games.

On their day the Citizens are unplayable and will often fill their boots but just recently they have struggled to convert their dominance into goals.

The 1-0 win over West Ham, in which they relied on a Sergio Aguero penalty to seal the points, is one such example of this. The same can also be said of the slender victory at Bournemouth, also 1-0.

Fulham have also tightened up slightly only conceding more than twice, once in the last four and this improvement could see them make Manchester City’s life a little more difficult. The resilience they showed against Liverpool in the 2-1 defeat last time out, proved that they can match the top teams on their day and Scott Parker will be wanting more of the same.

Scott Parker making a difference

Scott Parker has been refreshingly honest about his Fulham side since taking caretaker charge. He has not shied away from criticising his players when needed but he has also found the positives in some much improved performances.

The former Charlton man was delighted with the commitment of his players in the narrow defeat to Liverpool last time out. It took a second half penalty from James Milner to see the high-flying Reds leave Craven Cottage with all three points and the Fulham boss believes his players have worked hard to improve.

The pressure is building on Manchester City

Pep Guardiola’s side have played some sublime football this season with the 6-0 win over Chelsea being a particular highlight but as the pressure mounts don’t expect them to carry on in this vein.

The sign of a Champion is winning even when not at their best and City have done that twice in the last three games. The 1-0 wins against both West Ham and Bournemouth were not emphatic but they were vital. City trail Liverpool by two points having played a game less and know that dropping points now could, potentially, hand the title to the Reds so a more nervy display is to be expected.

Betting tip

With Fulham looking a more organised side under Scott Parker and Manchester City coming into this one slightly rusty with pressure mounting, it could well be worth having a punt on this game seeing under 3.5 goals at odds of 23/20.

Bet Under 3.5 goals on