Fulham vs Wolverhampton Wanderers Preview: Probable Lineups, Prediction, Tactics, Team News & Key Stats

Wolverhampton Wanderers will look to build on their last league win when they hit the road to square up against Fulham.

Fulham will look to end their winless run when they host Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League. Both teams have struggled in the initial phase of the season and will look to gain momentum with a win in this fixture.

The Cottagers are currently 15th in the points table with just 12 points out of their 12 matches. They have lost six outings so far and have only won three. A few more defeats could push them into the relegation battle. As a result, they will be desperate for all three points in this fixture.

Fulham’s last league outing prior to the international break was a 3-1 defeat at the hands of Aston Villa. While they did give a tough fight, the Cottagers did not create enough chances and the opposition strikers made the best use of their chances. They will look for a much-improved performance in this home game.

Wolves are currently 12th on the points tables with 15 points out of their 12 matches. They have won four matches, drawn three and lost five matches so far. The visitors are not happy with the start they have had and will look for a string of positive results to get things on track.

They are heading into this fixture on the back of a big win over Tottenham Hotspur. Wolves managed to script a historic win with two goals in injury time. They conceded quite early in the game and Spurs had the advantage until the 90th minute. But, in added time, Wolves scored twice to claim all three points.

The visitors will be quite confident about their chances in this outing, having scripted such a win last time out. But, it won’t be easy as the home team has a lot to play for. Meanwhile, The Hard Tackle tries to predict the tactics they could deploy.

Team News & Tactics

Fulham

Marco Silva will be without the services of Rodrigo Muniz and Issa Diop, who are out injured. Meanwhile, Joao Palhinha is suspended for this fixture, having picked up his fifth yellow card this season in the defeat against Aston Villa.

Silva will go ahead with the 4-3-3 formation, where Bernd Leno will be in goal. Kenny Tete and Antonee Robinson will be the full-backs. The duo will look to join the attack at every possible opportunity.

Meanwhile, Calvin Bassey will pair up with Tim Ream in the heart of the defence. The defence will look to put in an impressive shift and keep a clean sheet here. Alex Iwobi, Tom Cairney and Andreas Pereira will feature in the centre of the park.

The trio will look to control the tempo of the game and ensure they have the majority of the ball. Bobby De Cordova-Reid and Willian will give width to their attacks. They will look to stretch the opposition’s defence and ensure they create enough chances for their star striker Raul Jimenez.

Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Leno; Tete, Bassey, Ream, Robinson; Iwobi, Cairney, Pereira; Decordova-Reid, Jimenez, Willian

Wolverhampton Wanderers

Gary O’Neil will be without the services of Pedro Neto and Joe Hodge. Meanwhile, Craig Dawson is suspended for this fixture. The Fulham boss expects Mario Lemina, Matt Doherty and Santiago Bueno to be back in time for this fixture. Nelson Semedo’s availability will depend on a late fitness test.

O’Neil is expected to go ahead with the 3-5-2 formation for this fixture. Jose Sa will take charge in goal and he will have the support of Max Kilman, Toti Gomes and Santiago Bueno who will form the back three.

The trio will have the support of Nelson Semedo and Rayan Ait-Nouri, who will feature as the wing-backs. Meanwhile, in the centre of the park, Mario Lemina will take care of the defensive side of things. And, he will have the support of João Gomes and Jean-Ricner Bellegarde

Up front, it will be a two-man attack that will see Pablo Sarabia pair up with Matheus Cunha. The duo will look to leave their mark on this game and ensure they come out on top in this away fixture.

Probable Lineup (3-5-2): Sa; Kilman, Toti, S. Bueno; Semedo, Lemina, Gomes, Bellegarde, Ait-Nouri; Sarabia, Cunha

Key Stats

• The last two league outings between Fulham and Wolves have ended in a draw.
• In the last six meetings between the two teams in the league, Wolves have won thrice while the remaining three matches have ended in a draw.
• Fulham are the joint lowest scoring team in the division having found the back of the net just 10 times.
• The home team have been winless in their last four league outings. They have suffered three defeats in those four outings.

Player to Watch

Raul Jimenez

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Jimenez has not had the best of times since joining Fulham from Wolverhampton Wanderers in the summer. He has featured in 13 matches but only has one goal to his name in 715 minutes of footballing action.

The 32-year-old is now all set to square up against his former club and will be eager to get his name on the scoresheet in this fixture. There might not be a better match for the Mexican international to return to his best. And, he could end up being the difference between the two teams.

Prediction

Fulham 2-2 Wolverhampton Wanderers

Fulham have been winless in their last four league outings. They have suffered three defeats and have only won once in their last five league matches. It has not been a great start to the 2023-24 season for the Cottagers. Similar is the situation of Wolves who have won two out of their last five league outings.

The visitors have won four matches in total while the home team only has three wins to their name. The current form of both teams is not good enough but when they square up against each other it could end up being a closely fought encounter. As a result, The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-2 draw.