Fulham and Leicester City will be eager to get their first win of the 2024/25 Premier League season when they clash at Craven Cottage on Saturday.
The 2024/25 Premier League season moves into its second weekend, with Gameweek 2 kicking off with the game between Brighton & Hove Albion and Manchester United at the Amex Stadium. The action then continues with five simultaneous fixtures, including Fulham vs Leicester City.
Fulham would have hoped for a better start to the 2024/25 season after an impressive pre-season campaign. While the Cottagers gave a good account of themselves, they did not have the quality to get past Andre Onana and condemn Manchester United to a second successive defeat at Old Trafford. Marco Silva will now be eager to get off the mark this weekend.
As for Leicester City, they should have ideally finished on the wrong end of the result earlier this week against Tottenham Hotspur. However, a dogged defensive display and a wasteful showing by the North London club provided the Foxes the opportunity to take something from the game. And Jamie Vardy rose to the occasion to earn them a point on their return to the Premier League.
Fulham and Leicester City produced a riveting affair the last time they clashed in a Premier League game at Craven Cottage, with the West London club clinching a 5-3 win. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Fulham
Marco Silva does not have any new injury concerns hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture. Against Leicester City on Saturday, the Fulham manager will have a full-strength squad.
Meanwhile, the hosts have a new squad member heading into this weekend’s match, with Sander Berge arriving from Burnley. Joachim Andersen will soon follow his fellow Scandinavian footballer through the door when he completes his impending move from Crystal Palace.
Bernd Leno is an automatic pick between the sticks, with Fulham lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him against Leicester City. The backline should feature Kenny Tete, Issa Diop, Calvin Bassey, and Antonee Robinson, with Diop and Bassey playing for their spots ahead of Andersen’s return from Crystal Palace.
As for the midfield unit, Berge should make his Fulham bow, pairing up with Andreas Pereira in the middle of the park. Emile Smith Rowe will reprise the no. 10 role, with Alex Iwobi and Adama Traore being the two wide attackers. Finally, Rodrigo Muniz will spearhead the Fulham attack on Saturday.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Leno; Tete, Diop, Bassey, Robinson; Pereira, Berge; Traore, Smith Rowe, Iwobi; Muniz
Leicester City
Unlike his counterpart in the Fulham dugout, Steve Cooper has a few issues to deal with ahead of the trip to Craven Cottage. The Leicester City manager will be without four first-team players on Saturday.
Jakub Stolarczyk (foot), Conor Coady (thigh), and Patson Daka (ankle) remain on the sidelines, with the trio unlikely to return before the international break. Luke Thomas is close to returning to action but might not be fit enough to take the field on Saturday.
Mads Hermansen should take his spot between the sticks, with Leicester City lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him against Fulham on Saturday. The backline should feature James Justin, Wout Faes, Jannik Vestergaard, and Victor Kristiansen.
As for the midfield unit, there is no looking past Harry Winks and Wilfred Ndidi in the double pivot in the middle of the park. Facundo Buonanotte should reprise the no. 10 role, with Abdul Fatawu Issahaku and former Fulham attacker Bobby Decordova-Reid being the two wide attackers. Finally, Jamie Vardy will likely lead the line for the away side against Fulham.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Hermansen; Justin, Faes, Vestergaard, Kristiansen; Winks, Ndidi; Abdul Fatawu, Buonanotte, Decordova-Reid; Vardy
Key Stats
- Fulham won both Premier League meetings with Leicester City, the last time the sides met in 2022/23, most recently winning three consecutive league games against the Foxes between 1966 and 1967.
- Fulham have not won their first home match in their last five Premier League campaigns (D1 L4) since a 5-0 victory over Norwich City in 2012/13.
- No side in the top four tiers of English football won more away league games than Leicester City last season (14). The Foxes emerged victorious in their first seven away EFL Championship games last term, winning the same amount in their final 16 on the road (D3 L6). However, they have won just two of their most recent 15 Premier League away games against London clubs (D3 L10), conceding at least twice in every defeat.
- Steve Cooper has lost six of his seven meetings with Fulham in all competitions, although his one victory came at Craven Cottage (1-0 in April 2022). He has faced defeat in all three Premier League games against the Cottagers by an aggregate score of 10-2.
- Andreas Pereira created more chances than any other Premier League player on Gameweek 1 (6). That is the 19th time a Fulham player has created six or more chances in a Premier League match, with the Brazilian responsible for seven of those.
Player to Watch
Jamie Vardy
The term ageing like fine wine is oft used in football, as very few players stamp their authority when they are closer to their 40th birthday than the 30th. However, Jamie Vardy falls into that category, even though his fitness issues have hampered him in the last 24 months. But he proved his credentials again with a point-saving goal against Tottenham Hotspur earlier this week.
The Englishman became Leicester City’s oldest Premier League goalscorer when he netted against Tottenham on Gameweek 1. The last player aged 37+ to score in consecutive Premier League appearances was Cristiano Ronaldo (4 in April/May 2022). He will aim to equal Ronaldo’s record this weekend.
Prediction
Fulham 2-2 Leicester City
Fulham might have come away with nothing after the game against Manchester United last week, but they showed some promising signs. While the Cottagers can improve defensively, they have a burst of creativity, especially after Emile Smith Rowe’s arrival, which has taken some of the creative burden off Andreas Pereira.
As for Leicester City, they were dogged in the defensive phases but left a lot of holes for Tottenham to exploit on Monday. Fulham should take advantage should those issues crop up again. However, with the West London outfit also showing vulnerabilities at the back, Leicester City should be in contention. In the end, there might not be much to separate the two sides, with The Hard Tackle predicting a 2-2 draw.
