With only Wigan's wildly negative GD keeping us currently outside the bottom three, it's clear the Whites need to start winning again. Will the moon be blue over Craven Cottage in Sunday's TV game?

The cameras are back at CC for the visit of big spending Man City. Pray their presence inspires the Whites to lift their game as they did when Man U came down at the start of the season. Mark Hughes press conference Friday seemed to focus more on the circumstances of his departure from Eastlands a year ago, and what chance Mancini has of welding together a bunch of highly-paid prima donnas into a title winning team.

Let's pass on the revenge motive for a second and turn the spotlight on our own predicament. If Hughes is asking for an extra 20% in his final team talk and a show of passion it should be because Fulham FC are in real danger of seeing this season go sour. The colour of our opponents shirts is immaterial.

Our poor form of late has been shown up by results from the weekend. Stoke on the march after 4 straight wins, Blackpool carve out another win, Bolton expose how shaky Newcastle are at the back, as for the Brum win over Chelsea, with the Blues in such poor form why did we not really give it a go at the Bridge? Just one save required of Cech in the whole match. Opportunity missed!

You don't have to read far to find negative press stories surrounding City. The dressing room might be seething with unrest, but they've enough talent in the ranks to turn it on when in the mood. In Carlos Tevez they boast the one genuine match winner from both line-ups, a real terrier of a player, someone who always enjoys playing against us.

With the news that Dembele has returned from internatonal duty with a recurrence of his ankle ligament injury (out for three weeks),we are without our best player from last week's point at Newcastle. Dempsey and AJ in tandem up front seems now to be our only attacking option. We started the season with six strikers...suddenly the arsenal looks to be short of ammunition.

It's one thing for AJ to be telling the papers he fancies getting back in the England squad, as it's been 18 months since he last netted for us, perhaps the £10 million man might like to get back on the scoresheet first? In truth, everyone has to be right on their game for this one from the very first minute. It's short odds the draw with both sides faltering in the past few weeks, yet games between us and City rarely finish goaless.

Against a side sitting 5th in the division you might be tempted to see one point as a result. Even a loss will still see us outside the drop zone, for another week at least. Make no mistake this is a watershed game for Mr Hughes and Fulham through to New Year. Blue Moon over the Thames or our third win of the season to restore the feeling good factor? We'll be watching...

COYW Twitter@fulhamphil