City Look to Seal Champions League Spot at Craven Cottage

Manchester City conclude what has been a challenging and ultimately underwhelming campaign when they visit Fulham at Craven Cottage on Sunday afternoon.

Pep Guardiola's men arrive in west London knowing that Champions League qualification is virtually assured following their crucial midweek victory over Bournemouth. City would require a catastrophic sequence of results to slip from the top five on the season's final day.

For Fulham, comfortably positioned in mid-table, Sunday represents an opportunity to conclude their home fixtures on a positive note. Marco Silva's charges have endured a frustrating spell at Craven Cottage of late, surrendering leads in consecutive defeats. Victory against City would not only provide the perfect conclusion to their campaign but would also end a woeful sequence of 17 successive losses to the Manchester outfit across all competitions.

Whilst a single point should suffice to guarantee European football's premier competition, three points would secure third position and remove any lingering doubt about their Champions League participation.

The Cottagers have enjoyed a respectable campaign and could yet finish as high as 12th, depending on Sunday's outcome and results elsewhere. Silva's side have proven capable of troubling the division's elite on their day.

Fulham's 2025 has been characterised by extremes, entering the final fixture having won twice and lost four times in their previous six outings. Remarkably, the west Londoners have managed just one league draw since the turn of the year—a 2-2 stalemate with Ipswich in early January. Their subsequent 17 fixtures have yielded eight victories and nine defeats, with their most recent success coming away to Brentford.

Since their memorable 3-2 triumph over Liverpool in April, Fulham have suffered consecutive home defeats to Chelsea (1-2) and Everton (1-3). Their Craven Cottage record this season reads seven wins and six losses from 18 fixtures, scoring 27 whilst conceding 28. Clean sheets have proved elusive, with Silva's men managing just two shutouts at home—goalless against Southampton and a 2-0 victory over Tottenham.

When these sides met at the Etihad in October, City prevailed 3-2 in an entertaining encounter. Mateo Kovačić's brace and Jeremy Doku's late strike overturned Pereira's opener, though Muniz's strike two minutes from time ensured a nervy conclusion for the Etihad faithful.

City's most recent visit to Craven Cottage proved far more comfortable. Joško Gvardiol's 13th-minute opener set the tone before Phil Foden, Gvardiol again, and Julián Álvarez's stoppage-time penalty secured a comprehensive 4-0 victory.

Team news sees Fulham without Harrison Reed, Timothy Castagne, Rodrigo Muniz, and Reiss Nelson through injury. Willian and Carlos Vinícius may feature for the final time, with both Brazilians expected to depart when their contracts expire this summer.

Probable Line-ups:

Fulham: Leno; Tete, Adarabioyo, Bassey, Robinson; Palhinha, Lukić; Wilson, Pereira, Willian; Jiménez

Manchester City: Ederson; Walker, Dias, Gvardiol, Aké; Lewis; Foden, De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva, Doku; Haaland