Match Preview: City vs. Fulham

A spot in the hat for the Capital One Cup Quarter-Final draw is up for grabs at King Power Stadium on Tuesday night as Leicester City tackle Premier League visitors Fulham in a mouthwatering last-16 tie.

Nigel Pearson’s Foxes will be oozing with confidence after a seventh consecutive home win in all competitions against Bournemouth on Saturday afternoon – the strike duo of David Nugent and Jamie Vardy scoring the goals that helped City leapfrog Queens Park Rangers into second place in the Sky Bet Championship.

Sandwiched in between the weekend’s 2-1 win and a crucial trip to Watford next Saturday, the chance to test themselves against Premier League opposition in the form of Fulham will have City’s stars eager to be involved and stake their claim for a starting spot.

City have overcome Wycombe Wanderers, Carlisle United and Derby County in the competition so far, but Fulham present by far the biggest challenge for the Foxes, who will again be without full back Ritchie De Laet for the clash.

Blessed with a squad of undoubted Premier League quality, Martin Jol’s Fulham have dispatched Burton Albion and Everton on their route to the last-16.

The Cottagers scraped through on penalties after a 2-2 draw with Burton, but the experienced duo of Dimitar Berbatov and Darren Bent were on hand to help secure a 2-1 Craven Cottage victory over the Toffees in the last round.

It has been a difficult start to the campaign for Jol’s men, who after beating struggling Sunderland on the opening day, had to wait until October for their next top-flight win – a 1-0 success over Stoke that was followed by a sensational 4-1 win away to Crystal Palace.

Big defender Brede Hangeland is a doubt for the clash with a leg problem, while Matthew Briggs is likely to miss out with a groin injury. However, it is an otherwise fully fit squad for the London side to choose from when they visit King Power Stadium on Tuesday night.

City manager Nigel Pearson was delighted with his players following the 2-1 victory over AFC Bournemouth on Saturday, saying: “It’s about winning so I’m very pleased that we’ve got the three points.

“I think we deserved to win. It was a tough game because they’re a decent side, but it got a little bit frustrating with the timing of their equaliser knocking us out of our stride a little bit.

“I think really in the second half we totally dominated the game, but we had to earn it today. It wasn’t the easiest game for us. I think they’re a decent side and they certainly didn’t disappoint in terms of how they set up and worked.

“All in all it was a good day for us and we keep our run going. I think what it does do is illustrate how hard it is to be a success. They made us work, but we deserved it. We’ve had easier games than that.”

Following a disappointing 2-0 defeat away to high flying Southampton, Fulham boss Martin Jol said: “I thought it was a game of two halves. In the first half, I thought it could be a hammering but in the second half we held them 0-0. That was the only good thing to come out of today.

“Of course, it was disappointing. We had a problem with Adam Lallana and [Jay] Rodriguez and [Rickie] Lambert. We conceded a goal from a corner-kick again and to come back away to Southampton, who’ve only conceded three goals all season, was always going to be difficult.

“We couldn’t get the ball forward because they pressed us. We forgot to play football and even Manchester United couldn’t get out of their half against them last week.

“Like we did in the second half against Crystal Palace we needed a good passing game to get the ball to our best players. We didn’t do that today. We weren’t aggressive enough to keep the ball.”

Head to Head Record (all comps)

City:25

Draws:17

Fulham:39

Last Three Meetings

Fulham 3 City 2

Carling Cup

Wednesday 27 August, 2008

Goals: Gera 31, Bullard 83, Murphy 90; Dickov 46, King 48

Fulham 4 City 3

FA Cup

Wednesday 17 January, 2007

Goals: McBride 35, Montella 51, 60, Routledge 90; Fryatt 13, McAuley 45, Wesolowski 47

City 2 Fulham 2

FA Cup

Saturday 6 January, 2007

Goals: Kisnorbo 80, Cadamarteri 90; McBride 69, Voltz 83

While the Fulham squad boasts plenty of Premier League quality, one name that stands out on the team sheet is that of Dimitar Berbatov, the experienced Bulgarian striker who is capable of scoring against any team.

The 32-year-old enjoyed a solid first season with the Cottagers last term, after joining on a free from Manchester United. He scored a respectable 15 goals in all competitions in 2012/13, and despite only notching twice in nine games so far this term, will most definitely be a threat.

Berbatov began his career with CSKA Sofia before a successful five-and-a-half year spell with German side Bayer Leverkusen. His exploits in Germany earned his a £10million move to Tottenham Hotspur in July 2006, and nearly 50 goals later, Manchester United were persuaded to splash out over £30million on the talented hitman.

The Bulgarian’s goal scoring record at Old Trafford was equally impressive, and there can be no doubt he still possesses the same impressive skill and technique that has won him so many admirers throughout his career, so City will need to keep a close eye on the striker, with and without the ball.