Manchester City will have to cope without midfielder Mateo Kovacic when they travel to Craven Cottage to face Fulham in their final Premier League fixture of the 2024-25 season on Sunday afternoon.
Kovacic returned from a minor injury to start in City’s 3-1 win over Bournemouth on Tuesday night, but the Croatian was shown a straight red card midway through the second half for a last-man foul and will subsequently serve a one-match suspension.
John Stones remains sidelined as he continues to recover from a long-term thigh injury, but Nathan Ake and Oscar Bobb are both available after recovering from respective foot and hamstring problems to be named on the substitutes’ bench in midweek, the latter of whom came on in stoppage time.
Ballon d’Or winner Rodri made his long-awaited return from injury against Bournemouth, coming on as a late substitute after eight months out with an ACL injury. The Spaniard is available for selection once again, but Guardiola has confirmed that he will not start on Sunday.
Either Nico Gonzalez – who scored his first Man City goal in midweek – or Bernardo Silva could therefore take the place of Kovacic in the centre of midfield and play alongside Ilkay Gundogan.
Kevin De Bruyne received a fitting Etihad farewell in midweek and the soon-to-be-departing club legend is in line to make his final appearance for Man City against Fulham, most likely from the start as captain in an advanced midfield role.
If Bernardo is moved back into a deeper midfield role, then either Phil Foden, Savinho or Jeremy Doku could be recalled to start on the right flank, as Omar Marmoush operates on the left and cuts inside to provide support in attack for central striker Erling Haaland, who has scored 21 goals in 30 Premier League games this term.
In defence, Guardiola could stick with a back four of Matheus Nunes, Ruben Dias, Manuel Akanji and Josko Gvardiol, the latter of whom scored twice in a 4-0 win at Craven Cottage last season. Meanwhile, goalkeeper Ederson could make his final appearance for the club amidst speculation over a summer switch to Saudi Arabia.
Manchester City possible starting lineup: Ederson; Nunes, Dias, Akanji, Gvardiol; Bernardo, Gundogan; Savinho, De Bruyne, Marmoush; Haaland
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