Fulham host West Ham United at Craven Cottage on Sunday, and they will look to build on their thumping win over Nottingham Forest.
Fulham are 12th in the Premier League table, and they will look to push towards the top half with a victory over West Ham United. The 5-0 win over Nottingham Forest will have given them an immense confidence boost, and the London outfit will look to grind out all three points here.
Meanwhile, West Ham are ninth in the standings, and they will be chasing Europa League qualification this season. The Hammers are in impressive form right now, with three wins and a draw in their last four league matches. They picked up an away win over Tottenham in their last outing and will be confident of grinding out another positive result here.
West Ham have done quite well against Fulham in recent years and they will be the favourites heading into the game. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News and Tactics
Fulham
The home team will be without Issa Diop, who is ruled out with an ankle injury. Rodrigo Muniz remains sidelined with a knee injury, and Adama Traore misses out with a hamstring strain.
The home team are likely to shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Bernd Leno in goal. Kenny Tete and Antonee Robinson will start as the full-backs, and they will look to contribute at both ends of the pitch. Calvin Bassey and Tim Ream should form the central defensive pairing.
In the midfield pivot, Harrison Reed will start alongside Joao Palhinha. The two players will look to add defensive cover to the side and break up opposition attacks. Harry Wilson and Alex Iwobi will be deployed as the wingers here.
The wide duo will look to create goal-scoring opportunities with their pace and trickery. Finally, Raul Jimenez will lead the line for Fulham with Andreas Pereira behind him in the central attacking midfield role.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Leno; Tete, Bassey, Ream, Robinson; Palhinha, Reed; Iwobi, Pereira, Wilson; Jimenez
West Ham United
The Hammers will be without Michail Antonio, who is ruled out for another week with a knee injury. Alphonse Areola has a wrist issue, and he will return to action in the next game.
The Hammers will line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Lukasz Fabianski in goal. Vladimir Coufal and Emerson Palmieri will start as the full-backs, and they will look to protect the central defence and help out in the attack.
Kurt Zouma will start alongside Nayef Aguerd at the heart of the defence. In the midfield pivot, Edson Alvarez will be the defensive midfielder and he will look to break up opposition attacks and protect central defenders. James Ward-Prowse will start alongside him as the deep-lying playmaker and he will look to create opportunities with his vision and long-range passing.
Mohammed Kudus and Lucas Paqueta will start as the wingers here and they will look to add creativity and control in the final third. Jarrod Bowen is likely to lead the line for West Ham with Said Benrahma starting as the central attacking midfielder.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Fabianski; Coufal, Zouma, Aguerd, Palmieri; Ward-Prowse, Alvarez; Bowen, Paqueta, Benrahma; Kudus
Key Stats
- Fulham have scored at least three goals in their last three matches in the Premier League.
- Fulham are winless in their last six matches against West Ham.
- The two sides have conceded 25 or more goals in 15 Premier League matches this season.
- West Ham are unbeaten in their last four Premier League matches.
Key Player
Jarrod Bowen
All 50 goals scored by Jarrod Bowen as a Hammer ⚒️ pic.twitter.com/si92DqO71g
— West Ham United (@WestHam) December 9, 2023
The 26-year-old has been in fine form this season, scoring nine goals and picking up one assist in 14 Premier League matches. He has contributed with a goal or an assist in four of his last six outings. He will look to add to his goalscoring tally here, and he will be instrumental to West Ham breaking down the Fulham defence.
Prediction
Fulham 1-2 West Ham United
The Hammers will be the favourites heading into this contest, and they will look to continue their unbeaten run of form in the Premier League. In addition to that, they are unbeaten in their last six matches against Fulham and they will be full of confidence here. West Ham are certainly the better team on paper as well, and they should be able to grind out a narrow away win here.
Your predictions must be well balance