Fulham set for a battle against ‘disrespectful’ Manchester City

Manchester City will come face-to-face with an old flame on Sunday, as they make the trip to the capital to face Fulham, and former boss Mark Hughes.

Hughes, who was fired from the Eastland’s club last December, returned to management in the summer with Fulham and this week admitted “It’s always nice to go up against former clubs and show there is life after you’ve left them”, adding how he thought the manner in which the club’s Abu Dhabi owners treated him towards the end of his tenure was disrespectful.

His Fulham side have drawn five of the previous nine Premier League matches, with their last win coming almost a month ago at home to Wigan Athletic. On that day, American Clint Dempsey solved Fulham’s injury-struck attacking concerns, scoring both goals in a 2-0 victory.

With Bobby Zamora a long-term absentee and £5 million signing Moussa Dembele currently sidelined for up to three weeks, Dempsey may be the man to provide the goals again. He is priced at 17/2 to score either the first or the last goal of the game.

Their opponents for Sunday’s match are in a similar run of form; the Manchester club have only managed one win in five league games, and find themselves in a similar league position to one that saw the end of Mark Hughes’ contract with the club just a year earlier.

The current Blues boss Roberto Mancini has been criticized by supporters and pundits for being overly defensive in previous matches, in a bid to secure Champions League football for the club next term.

To booster his chances of victory, Mancini will be glad to see two key players return to the match day squad; leading goalscorer Carlos Tevez was substituted last weekend due to a dead leg, but is back to full fitness, whilst goalkeeper Joe Hart is back to 100% after missing out on England’s international friendly in midweek.

City will however have to cope without the suspended Mario Balotelli, whilst there are doubts over England defenders Joleon Lescott and Micah Richards. A current price of 9/2 can be found for City to eventually win after an equal first 45 minutes, a result that would keep them in contention for the Premier League crown.

In the corresponding fixture least season, City emerged victorious after a hard fought 2-1 win, against a Fulham side who were in the midst of a fantastic Europa League run. The stats however reflect a different story: 50% of the last 14 league matches between these two clubs have ended in draws and with both sides appearing to have forgotten what winning feels like, a 7/1 price for a 0-0 stalemate looks a decent alternative.