Fulham will play hosts to Ipswich Town at Craven Cottage on Sunday afternoon, looking to get back to winning ways.
Fulham have been difficult to beat in recent weeks, and they are unbeaten in the last six Premier League matches ahead of the visit of Ipswich Town this weekend. The West London club are currently eighth in the standings, and they will look to push for European qualification this season.
It will be interesting to see if they can continue their recent run of form and grind out a positive result here. Meanwhile, the visitors are 18th in the Premier League table, and they are one of the favourites to go down this season. Ipswich Town need to start picking up points if they want to secure safety in the Premier League.
The tractor Boys are coming into this game on the back of a morale-boosting victory over Chelsea. It will be interesting to see if they can pull off a similar result here. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the upcoming meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Fulham
Fulham will be without Harrison Reed due to a knee injury, Reiss Nelson is recovering from a thigh injury, Kenny Tete has a knee injury, and Sander Berge has an ankle problem.
The home side are likely to shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Bernd Leno in goal. Timothy Castagne and Antonee Robinson will start as the full-backs. They will look to help out at both ends of the pitch. Issa Diop will start alongside Calvin Bassey at the heart of the defence.
As for the midfield unit, Sasa Lukic and Andreas Pereira will start in the double pivot, and they will add defensive cover and control from the deep. Emile Smith Rowe will start in the attacking midfield role, and he will look to create goalscoring chances for his teammates.
Adama Traore will start alongside Alex Iwobi on the flanks, and they will add goals, pace and flair to the side. Finally, Raul Jimenez will lead the line for Fulham against Ipswich Town on Sunday afternoon.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Leno; Castagne, Diop, Bassey, Robinson; Lukic, Pereira; Traore, Smith Rowe, Iwobi; Jimenez
Ipswich Town
Ipswich Town will be without Janoi Donacien due to an ankle injury. Chiedozie Ogbene misses out with a calf injury, Axel Tuanzebe is unavailable due to a hand injury, and George Hirst has a knee issue.
The away side will shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Arijanet Muric in goal. Ben Johnson and Leif Davis will start as the full-backs here, and they will look to keep things tight defensively and hit Fulham on the break. Luke Woolfenden and Dara O’Shea will form the central defensive partnership.
As for the midfield unit, Samy Morsy and Jens Cajuste will start in the double pivot, and they will look to win the ball back for their side and break up opposition attacks. Wes Burns and Omari Hutchinson will add pace and flair from the flanks.
Conor Chaplin will start in the attacking midfield role, and he will look to create goalscoring opportunities for his teammates. Finally, Liam Delap will spearhead the Ipswich Town attack against Fulham on Sunday.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Muric; Johnson, Woolfenden, O’Shea, Davis; Morsy, Cajuste; Burns, Chaplin, Hutchison; Delap
Key Stats
- Fulham are undefeated in their last eight matches against Ipswich Town in all competitions.
- Fulham are undefeated in their last seven matches in the Premier League.
- 18 goals have been scored in the last six matches between these two sides.
- Ipswich have lost four of their last six matches in all competitions.
- Fulham have conceded in five of their last six matches in all competitions.
Player to Watch
Alex Iwobi
The Fulham winger is our key player to watch out for. The 28-year-old has been in impressive form this season, and he has five goals and three assists to his name. He will look to influence the game in the final third with his goalscoring ability and creativity. Fulham will need him to step up and open up the away defence if they want to grind out all three points.
Prediction
Fulham 2-1 Ipswich Town
The visitors did extremely well against Chelsea to grind out of victory, and they are likely to put up a fight here. However, Ipswich Town have been quite vulnerable at the back, and Fulham will look to expose their defensive frailties here.
Fulham are full of confidence right now, and they have been very difficult to beat. The home team will be the favourite here, and they could grind out a narrow victory in front of their own fans. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 win for Marco Silva and his charges.
