Fulham v Man City - Mancini on conceding goals | English Premier League 2012-13
- 10 years ago
Fulham must cope without Dimitar Berbatov, who suffered a hip/thigh problem in training on Thursday.
Kieran Richardson and Philippe Senderos are back in training but are not yet ready for first-team action.
Manchester City midfielder Samir Nasri has recovered from a hamstring injury but Jack Rodwell is missing with a groin injury.
Right-back Micah Richards is back in training after an ankle injury but is a couple of weeks short of fitness.
MATCH PREVIEW
Sometimes the week's events cause questions and conundrums to just pop into your head at the strangest of moments.
I was putting petrol in my car when I started wondering if Lee Cattermole had more career red cards than goals; later, at the supermarket, I asked myself whether there really used to be a third-place play-off in the FA Cup. In the shower I was troubled by whether Soccer AM is still on the telly, and on the school run it was when Manchester City last went five matches without a win.
The answers are: yes, yes, nobody knows and December 2008.
If City don't win at Craven Cottage, they will repeat that sequence of almost four years ago when Mark Hughes was the manager and the first of the marquee signings, Robinho, had just arrived.
Fulham will fancy their chances. Martin Jol's side have lost only one of their last 13 home games (winning 10) and came back from 2-0 down to draw this fixture a year ago, the first points City had dropped that campaign.
Then there is Dimitar Berbatov - perhaps the best value-for-money signing of the summer. Jol knows his faults and foibles but loves him anyway, and he will give the Bulgarian the kind of leeway to express himself which he never had at Old Trafford. The swagger is back in Berbatov, and that makes him a threat to anyone, especially when ably supported by Hugo Rodallega and a revitalised Damien Duff.
Yes, I know that City can boast half-a-dozen talents like Balotelli in their squad - but they will have the Champions League visit of Dortmund in the back of their mi
Kieran Richardson and Philippe Senderos are back in training but are not yet ready for first-team action.
Manchester City midfielder Samir Nasri has recovered from a hamstring injury but Jack Rodwell is missing with a groin injury.
Right-back Micah Richards is back in training after an ankle injury but is a couple of weeks short of fitness.
MATCH PREVIEW
Sometimes the week's events cause questions and conundrums to just pop into your head at the strangest of moments.
I was putting petrol in my car when I started wondering if Lee Cattermole had more career red cards than goals; later, at the supermarket, I asked myself whether there really used to be a third-place play-off in the FA Cup. In the shower I was troubled by whether Soccer AM is still on the telly, and on the school run it was when Manchester City last went five matches without a win.
The answers are: yes, yes, nobody knows and December 2008.
If City don't win at Craven Cottage, they will repeat that sequence of almost four years ago when Mark Hughes was the manager and the first of the marquee signings, Robinho, had just arrived.
Fulham will fancy their chances. Martin Jol's side have lost only one of their last 13 home games (winning 10) and came back from 2-0 down to draw this fixture a year ago, the first points City had dropped that campaign.
Then there is Dimitar Berbatov - perhaps the best value-for-money signing of the summer. Jol knows his faults and foibles but loves him anyway, and he will give the Bulgarian the kind of leeway to express himself which he never had at Old Trafford. The swagger is back in Berbatov, and that makes him a threat to anyone, especially when ably supported by Hugo Rodallega and a revitalised Damien Duff.
Yes, I know that City can boast half-a-dozen talents like Balotelli in their squad - but they will have the Champions League visit of Dortmund in the back of their mi