Fulham will take on West Ham United in the Premier League on Saturday, looking to bounce back with a positive result at home.
Fulham come into the game on the back of three consecutive league defeats, and they will be under pressure to grind out a positive result against West Ham United on Saturday.
Fulham made an exceptional start to the season after their promotion, and they were pushing for European qualification. However, they have been quite disappointing in recent weeks, and the home side find themselves tenth in the league table right now.
They will not want to drop down to the bottom half after the kind of season they have had in the first few months. It will be interesting to see if Silva can get his side firing on all cylinders once again. Meanwhile, West Ham United are fighting for their survival in the Premier League, and they are 15th in the league table.
David Moyes is under a lot of pressure to get his side to safety this season, and the Hammers will treat this as a must-win contest. West Ham cannot afford to keep dropping points if they want to preserve their status as a Premier League club next season.
On paper, the two teams are quite evenly matched. But Fulham have been far better this season. It will be interesting to see which of the two sides comes out on top in the end. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
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Team News and Tactics
Fulham
The London club will be without the services of Neeskens Kebano, Layvin Kurzawa and Aleksandar Mitrovic. While Kebano and Kurzawa are ruled out with injuries, Mitrovic is suspended and is set to return in May.
The home side are likely to shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation with Bernd Leno in goal.
Kenny Tete and Antonee Robinson will be deployed as the full-backs here and the two players will look to add creativity and width to the side along with the defensive responsibilities.
Issa Diop will partner with Tim Ream at the heart of the defence.
In the midfield pivot, Harrison Reed will start along with Joao Palhinha. Reed will look to break up the opposition play and Palhinha will add drive and defensive cover to the side.
Bobby De Cordova-Reid and Manor Solomon will start as the wingers. The two players will look to break down the West Ham defence and add flair in the final third.
Andreas Pereira will start as the central attacking midfielder behind striker Carlos Vinícius.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Leno; Tete, Diop, Ream, Robinson; Reed, Palhinha; Reid, Pereira, Solomon; Vinicius
West Ham
The Hammers will be without the services of Striker Gianluca Scamacca, who has been ruled out with a knee injury. David Moyes is likely to field his side in a 4-2-3-1 formation with Lukasz Fabianski in goal.
Thilo Kehrer and Emerson Palmieri will start as the full-backs. Kurt Zouma will start alongside Nayef Aguerd in the centre of the defence. In the midfield pilot, Declan Rice will start along with Tomas Soucek.
The two players will look to protect the central defenders and keep the side defensively compact. Jarrod Bowen and Said Benrahma will add creativity and goals to the side from the wide areas. Lucas Paqueta will add creativity in the middle of the park with Danny Ings leading the line.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Fabianski; Kehrer, Zouma, Aguerd, Emerson; Rice, Soucek; Bowen, Paqueta, Benrahma; Ings
Key Stats
- In the last five matches for Fulham, three have ended with both teams scoring.
- West Ham United have fired blanks in 11 games this season.
- Out of 18 previous meetings, Fulham have won three matches, while West Ham United won 11. Four matches between them have ended in a draw.
- Fulham have lost their last three matches in the Premier League.
- West Ham are undefeated in their last eight matches against Fulham in all competitions.
Player to Watch
Jarrod Bowen
The 26-year-old West Ham United winger has been the club’s best player in his last five outings. And the Hammers will need him to be on top form if they want to break down the Fulham defence and grind out the all-important three points.
Bowen will look to add goals and creativity in the final third. The West Ham winger will be reasonably confident despite his team’s poor performance in recent weeks. It remains to be seen whether he can expose Fulham’s vulnerabilities and help his side pick up a priceless win.
Prediction
Fulham 1-1 West Ham
Both teams will be desperate for all three points here, and this is likely to be a close contest. A defeat would be a devastating blow to either club, and they are likely to take a cautious approach here.
A low-scoring game is very much on the cards here, and the two teams are likely to cancel each other out in the end. The Hard Tackle predicts a 1-1 draw between the two sides on Saturday afternoon.