Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has urged his side to stay focused ahead of this week’s Premier League meeting with Fulham, while also offering glowing praise for defender Abdukodir Khusanov.

The two teams meet for the first time since City’s dramatic 5–4 victory at Craven Cottage earlier this season. This time, the clash takes place at the Etihad Stadium, where City have collected 44 points from a possible 51 in their last 17 league home matches.

Chasing Arsenal

City head into the fixture buoyed by a rare away win over Liverpool at Anfield, a ground where Guardiola’s side had previously won just once in 10 attempts under the Spaniard.

“Still, the distance is not huge, but considering how Arsenal are doing, six points is a lot,” Guardiola said. “In the last weeks, every time before a game, if you lose it feels like you lose everything and disappear from planet Earth.”

Reflecting on the reaction to the Anfield win, Guardiola added: “Yesterday I didn’t see the players, and today I haven’t seen them yet, so we will see. The next game is against Fulham, a team that gets better and better every year.”

Khusanov continues to impress

Guardiola also spoke highly of Khusanov, who has impressed since arriving in England, despite picking up an injury against Liverpool that is likely to rule him out of the Fulham match.

“He doesn’t speak like William Shakespeare, but he’s getting better and better,” Guardiola said with a smile. “He understands what we want, and every time he improves.”

“He is so intelligent. People might think that because he is so physical, strong and fast, he wouldn’t think much — but it’s the opposite. He always makes good decisions.”

Guardiola highlighted the defender’s pace and awareness as standout attributes. “His recoveries are incredible, but he also reads the game so well. Normally, a player with that physicality doesn’t need to think as much, but he has both. That’s why he’s improving. City have a central defender for many years.”

Containing Fulham

With City’s defensive issues under scrutiny, Guardiola was asked how his side plan to contain Fulham, who have scored 35 goals in 25 league games this season.

“Every season they get better,” he said. “Their movement, patterns, quality, composure and speed are really good. Marco Silva is one of the top, top, top managers I face.”

“He is destined to be among the very best in a few years, for sure.”