Seven games left. Three points adrift. Wolves at home. Only three points will do…
This week we face Wolves following an embarrassing collapse at Villa Park 6 days ago. Although the defensive display in the last 20 minutes was concerning, Mitro’s return to form could be crucial for the relegation run in. Our visitors have had a poor season by their standards, finding themselves in 14th place with injuries and a possible hangover from last seasons Europa League finally catching up with them. Having not won in their last 5 this is a good opportunity for points. Although our home form this season has been very poor, we need to put that behind us tonight as games are quickly running out.
In terms of changes from the Villa game, I would make three as well switching formations from a 4-2-3-1 to a 4-4-2 as I think Maja should be incorporated into the team. It’s a must win game and we’ve really struggled to find the net this season so by playing both of our goal scorers at home, it increases the likelihood that we can outscore our opponents. In terms of personnel, I would bring in Maja, Cavaleiro and Anguissa for Decordova-Reid, Lookman and Lemina. I am only taking Lookman out of the equation as I question his fitness after pulling up against Villa.
The time to start winning is now. Come on Fulham!
PREDICTION: FULHAM 3-1 WOLVES
PREFERRED LINE-UP: 4-4-2
HEAD TO HEAD
LEAGUE RECORD (OVERALL)
- GAMES PLAYED – 83
- FULHAM WINS – 22
- DRAWS – 22
- WOLVES WINS – 39
- GOALS SCORED – 103
- GOALS CONCEDED – 130
LEAGUE RECORD (HOME)
- GAMES PLAYED – 41
- FULHAM WINS – 17
- DRAWS – 10
- WOLVES WINS – 14
- GOALS SCORED – 61
- GOALS CONCEDED – 46
BIGGEST WINS AT CRAVEN COTTAGE
- FULHAM 7-0 WOLVES (1927/28)
- FULHAM 5-0 WOLVES (1966/67, 2011/12)
- FULHAM 0-5 WOLVES (1962/63)
- FULHAM 1-5 WOLVES (1995/96)
- FULHAM 4-1 WOLVES (1926/27, 1963/64)
- FULHAM 0-3 WOLVES (2015/16)
LAST 5 GAMES
- WOLVES 1-0 FULHAM
- WOLVES 1-0 FULHAM
- FULHAM 1-1 WOLVES
- FULHAM 2-0 WOLVES
- WOLVES 2-0 FULHAM
LEAGUE FORM
- FULHAM – LLLWL
- WOLVES – LLDLD
BATTLE TO WATCH
ALEKSANDAR MITROVIĆ VS CONOR COADY
Conor Coady is a 28-year-old English centre back who captains Wolves. He has played for the club since 2015 making over 250 appearances. Coady has also made appearances at international level representing England four times and scoring one goal. His strengths lie with his on the ball capabilities which is no surprise having played a lot of his career in midfield. However, defensively he can leave a lot to be desired which is why I think his battle with Mitrović could be vital. Mitro looks full of confidence following the international break and will target Coady with him being Wolves’ weakest defender. Despite results not always going our way against Wolves, this is a fixture where our Serbian talisman always seems to get the better of the Wolves back line as he tends to bully them. Hopefully that dominance continues tonight.
LAST TIME OUT
WOLVES 1-0 FULHAM (04/10/20)
The last time we played Wolves we lost 1-0 at Molineux. Pedro Neto scored a 56th minute goal against a weak Fulham defence. The likes of Ream, Le Marchand and Bryan all started which shows us how far our team has evolved. Looking back at line-ups like that makes you realise how good the recruitment has been this season just to give us a fighting chance. Despite defeat, it was an encouraging performance and improvement on the humiliating start we had made to the season. Abou Kamara missed a great chance to equalise near the end as our wait for a Premier League point continued…
PLAYERS IN COMMON
IVAN CAVALEIRO
FULHAM APPEARANCES: 76
GOALS: 9
WOLVES APPEARANCES: 106
GOALS: 19
Ivan Cavaleiro, Emmanuel Frimpong, Jordan Graham, Marcus Hahnemann, Andrew Lonergan, Scott Malone, Kevin McDonald, Jamie O’Hara, Sheyi Ojo, Seol Ki Hyeon, Richard Stearman.
