Fulham preview

Most of the debate in the build up to this game is about how Fulham will react to their outstanding victory against Juventus in the week. With just two days in the interim, City will be hoping for an After the Lord Mayor's show type performance from a jaded Fulham side rather than a confident side riding on the success of that night - a night Hodgson said was good enough for them all to retire straight away. It is a shame from City's point of view that weak refereeing made the night easier than it should have been for Fulham - had Cannavaro remained on the pitch, it would be a far wearier Fulham side tomorrow than it is otherwise.

Fulham can welcome back Danny Murphy to the side after he missed the Juve win with a suspension and he will have to kept quiet as the hub of Fulham's creativity - a job made for our swashbuckling central midfield. Zamora is obviously the man with the form and pushing for an England place, but you get the feeling that, if he was picked for an important England game, he'd soon forget how to score goals again. City will offer a sterner challenge to him than the delapidated Juve defence on Thursday however - and if he plays a lone role, as he has been doing of late, Kompany and Lescott should be favourites in that battle.

According to the training-watch sources on the net, as I read on the Man City Issues blog, Mancini will be setting up his side to carry on where it left off against Sunderland - which rings true with his prematch comments that he wants to attack from the off, in order to win these games. The midfield suggested by the City Forum is Bellamy, Vieira, Barry and Johnson with RSC and Tevez in attack - the team that finished the game against Sunderland but with Barry in for De Jong. City certainly carried more threat once players got closer to Tevez against Sunderland and Mancini will be looking to carry on in that form.

Whether he plays 4-4-2 or 4-2-3-1, or even the 4-3-2-1 of before, I think Vieira has won his place back in the midfield. Against Sunderland his ability to carry the ball forward and create attacks was vital in City's transformation, as only Barry was having limited success amongst the sitting three before his arrival. He is still getting used to the pace of the English game again, but he could be very important in the run in if our usual central creative maestro, Ireland, is not firing.

I still think Mancini will opt for Zabaleta at left-back, despite clarifying his best position as midfield in an interview this morning. Garrido does offer him good competition, and will definitely feature at some point whilst Bridge is out, but from Mancini's comments, I think he feels Zabaleta is a capable left-back. He added his name to the list of left-backs offered to him at the press conference and also speaks about his ability at left-back in this mornings interview too - and he will probably be a bit more robust for when Duff switches wings.

Depending on formation, I think a possible team could be:

Given; Richards, Kompany, Lescott, Zabaleta; Vieira, Barry; Johnson, Tevez, Bellamy; Santa Cruz.

Or if 4-3-2-1:

Given; Richards, Kompany, Lescott, Zabaleta; De Jong, Vieira, Barry; Johnson, Bellamy; Tevez.

Craven Cottage is a tough place to go and play - and Fulham have managed to beat United, Liverpool and Juventus convincingly there this season, but City have a chance if they attack from the off like in the second half against Sunderland, with the deep lying midfielders cutting off the supply from Gera and Murphy. Villa could put City into seventh going into the game against Fulham, so some points would certainly be handy to counter the pressure of that league position.