MANCHESTER CITY'S incredible run of wins came to an end before the Premier League's winter break but they should get back on track when Fulham come calling in the FA Cup.
I thought City might have trouble seeing off Southampton at St Mary's and backing Saints in the handicap paid off as they battled out a 1-1 draw.
That ended a run of 12 successive Premier League victories and gave Liverpool a glimmer of hope as they bid to eat into City's massive lead at the top.
It's back to cup business this weekend and Pep Guardiola should field a strong side as he has treated domestic knockout competitions with a lot of respect.
It might be a different story for Fulham gaffer Marco Silva though as he could rest players for this daunting tie as the Cottagers chase promotion.
Silva's free-scoring side are riding high at the top of the Championship as they seek a return to the top flight and have lost just once in their last 18 games.
But with so much riding on getting over the line in the league, I'd expect Silva to take no chances with his team selection here.
How the bookies view it
Fulham are as big as 20/1 for a shock win inside 90 minutes at Ladbrokes while PariMatch make them 11/1 shots to qualify. City are a tiny 1/14 at SBK to go through while the odds increase slightly to 2/13 (SportNation) for a win inside 90 minutes. The full-time draw pays 17/2 at Unibet.
Recent head to head
Manchester City have bossed this fixture, winning 11 in a row since a 2-2 draw at Craven Cottage in 2011. Fulham haven't even managed to score in the last seven meetings.
These sides met at the Etihad in the FA Cup two years ago and Guardiola's men eased to a 4-0 win, although the Cottagers had Tim Ream sent off inside six minutes (below).
Players to watch
Youngster Cole Palmer impressed in Manchester City's last FA Cup tie but could miss out here due to injury. Phil Foden should feature at some point and he's 5/4 with Coral to grab his eighth goal of the season.
Brazilian youngster Rodrigo Muniz could start up front for Fulham is Silva decides to give top scorer Aleksandar Mitrovic a breather. The 20-year-old has five goals to his name this term and is 5/1 at SportingIndex for anytime scorer.
Anything else catch the eye?
Given Fulham have drawn a blank in their last seven against City, a home win to nil looks the shout and the odds are decent at evens with SBK. The City clean sheet is almost the same price at 20/21 with the same firm and that might be a safer option if Fulham manage to hold out for a stalemate.
If Silva decides to rest players then City could grab a few goals and over 3.5 strikes for Guardiola's men pays 13/8 at Paddy Power.
Ilkay Gundogan hasn't been starting a lot of games for Guardiola's side but I'd expect the German to get a run-out here. He's 21/10 at McBookie for an assist and that looks decent value.
This FA Cup match between Manchester City and Fulham will be played on Feb 5, 2022 and kick off at 15:00. Check below for our tipsters best Manchester City vs Fulham prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
