Di banks of di Thames for Craven Cottage go host a big Premier League match between Fulham and Aston Villa. Dis one na mid-table clash wey get high stakes because di visitors dey fight for Champions League football.
Fulham dey come into dis weekend encounter looking to finish dia campaign well. Dem dey 12th for table with little movement expected for lower end of top half. Di Cottagers just come off a goalless draw against Brentford, and dem dey search for consistency in front of dia home fans.
Aston Villa dey hold di important fourth position. Dem arrive for Craven Cottage with di heavy weight of European qualification on dia shoulders. Fresh off a thrilling 4-3 victory against Sunderland, Unai Emery‘s squad know say every point at dis stage of di season na non-negotiable if dem want fend off di chasing pack.
Di contrast in motivations set di stage for an intriguing afternoon. Di lack of pressure on di hosts fit prove dangerous against di desperate, focused need of di visitors for a vibrant London atmosphere.
For fitness front, Fulham get complications. Kenny Tete sidelined due to foot injury, and Kevin dey manage a metatarsal bruise. Dis dey test di depth of dia squad. On di other side, Aston Villa continue to navigate di absences of Alysson and Boubacar Kamara, wey remain out with muscle and knee injuries.
Di statistical landscape heavily favour di visitors. Aston Villa don win di last five Premier League encounters against Fulham by combined score of 12-4. With Villa’s Ollie Watkins continuing to be a reliable source of goals and Fulham aiming to play spoiler for di top-four race, dis lunch-time fixture go be a tactical battle where di emotional weight of di league standings fit dictate flow of play more than recent form.
Fulham’s last five matches against Aston Villa: 0 wins, 0 draws, 5 wins for Villa. Goals don hard come for Fulham for recent months. Dem fail to make di net ripple for four of dia last five Premier League matches, as many as for dia previous 25 games combined.
Di Cottagers most recently play out an uneventful goalless stalemate with West London rivals Brentford last weekend. Bernd Leno produce a man-of-the-match-worthy save for di 90th-minute to help dem claim a point on dia travels. Dat leave Marco Silva‘s side sitting 12th for table but only three points behind di Bees for seventh and five points adrift of Brighton for sixth spot.
Fulham’s aspirations of a first European campaign since 2011-12 remain alive, but dia sluggish starts to matches must be addressed. With only four first-half goals since di turn of di year – a league low shared only by relegated Wolves – di Cottagers need find dia rhythm much earlier to sustain a top-seven push.
Fulham don get 29 of dia 45 Premier League points dis season at home. Dem win four of dia last six home league games, including dia most recent 3-1 victory against Burnley. However, Fulham don win only one of dia last nine top-flight matches against teams starting for di top half, and dem don lose three of dia last four home encounters with Aston Villa.
Aston Villa dey all but certain to secure a fourth consecutive top-seven finish for Premier League. Dia bid for a second Champions League appearance in three seasons don get boost from a seven-point haul from dia last three top-flight matches. Following a 2-0 win over West Ham and a 1-1 draw with Nottingham Forest, Unai Emery’s side prevail for a seven-goal thriller against Sunderland at Villa Park last weekend. Tammy Abraham net for stoppage time to seal a 4-3 victory and consolidate fourth spot for table.
Victory on Saturday against Fulham go see Villa climb above Man United into third and move 11 points clear of Brighton for sixth spot. Dat go cement a top-five finish and provide di perfect cushion for di Lions to turn dia full attention to next week’s Europa League semi-final against Forest.
Emery go wan rectify im team’s recent away form. Villa don win only one of dia last seven Premier League matches on di road. Di Lions don drop points for each of dia last four away games against Bournemouth, Wolves, Man United and Forest.
Villa fit take comfort from dia recent record against Fulham. Dem don win each of dia last six head-to-head battles with di Cottagers. Emery, meanwhile, boast a 100% win rate as a Premier League manager against Fulham.
For Fulham, Alex Iwobi dey sidelined after picking up a thigh problem for di draw with Brentford. Silva fit consider shaking up im midfield, with Sander Berge and Harrison Reed both pushing to start. Rodrigo Muniz don start di last three games up front but im no score since August, so Raul Jimenez fit be recalled. Emile Smith Rowe fit get di nod ahead of Josh King to continue for di number 10 role.
For Aston Villa, Boubacar Kamara remain sidelined with long-term knee injury. Alysson still dey deal with fitness issue. Should Morgan Rogers move into an advanced central position, dat go open door for Jadon Sancho or Emiliano Buendia to start on di left flank. In-form Ollie Watkins dey expected to lead di line again. Di England international don score six goals for im last five appearances and don find di net six times for nine games against Fulham.
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