With seven games remaining, Manchester City now have one hand on the Premier League trophy. In winning last night’s quasi-de facto Premier League title match, powered by a Kevin de Bruyne brace, City have now beaten Arsenal both times on the season, head-to-head.
They also knocked them out of the FA Cup to boot, although that is irrelevant to the title race here).
Manchester City at Fulham FYIs
Kick-off time/Date 2 PM, Sunday 30th April 2023, Craven Cottage
Manchester City Starting XI Prediction: go here
Transatlantic Passage: How the Premier League Redefined Soccer in America: LINK
PL Form: Man City WWWWW Fulham LWWWL
PL Standing: Man City 2nd, 73 pts Fulham 10th, 45 pts
Google Result Probability: Man City 77% Fulham 8% Draw 15%
So they have that tie-breaker going for them, which is nice, and they have another massive tie-breaker advantage on goal differential.
Right now, City are +13 over Arsenal in GD. Bottom line, Arsenal at best can finish with 90 points on the season. That is if, and this is a big if, they win all five of their remaining games this season.
Man City, by contrast can accrue 94 points if they win out. And they are, clearly, the team that is in much better form right now.
Up next is a trip to southwest London, where they’ll take on a mid-tabling Fulham side.
Team News for Both Sides
De Bruyne was the hero of heroes last night, but he asked to come off about 10 minutes before the final whistle. He has an unspecified knock and is a doubt for the weekend. Nathan Ake is the only other concern, as he remains out with a thigh injury.
Switching over to the Cottagers, Aleksandar Mitrovic is suspended while Layvin Kurzawa remains out with a knee injury.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He’s written for numerous publications, including the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. He regularly appears on NTD News and WGN News Now. Follow the website on Twitter and Instagram.
Leave a Reply