Preview: Fulham vs. Aston Villa – prediction, team news, lineups

Aston Villa, who are currently playing catch-up in the race for Champions League qualifying, will make their Premier League comeback on Saturday when they travel south to Craven Cottage to take on Fulham.

 

Last Saturday, the Cottagers defeated Bournemouth 3-1 to stop a six-game

losing streak, while the Lions were defeated 2-1 by Manchester United.

Rodrigo Muniz, who has been thriving in the Fulham front line since Chelsea purchased Armando Broja in late January, is keeping the Blues loanee at bay. On February 10, he followed up his goal against Burnley with a crucial brace in the team’s victory over Bournemouth.

 

After just five minutes of play at Craven Cottage, Bobby Decordova-Reid had already scored the first goal. Muniz then twice scored after a deft finish from Marcos Senesi, but the Cherries defender could only cut the deficit for a few minutes before Muniz restored the hosts’ two-goal lead.

 

Fulham defeated the Cherries to win their first Premier League match of 2024. They hadn’t triumphed in the top division since defeating Arsenal on New Year’s Eve.encounter, as well as snapping a six-game losing record in all competitions dating back to their January 5 FA Cup victory over Rotherham United.

With their eighth top-flight victory of the season, seven of which have come at

their Craven Cottage headquarters, where they have also scored two-thirds

of their 33 top-flight goals this season, Marco Silva’s team jumped over

Bournemouth into 12th place in the Premier League standings.

 

Fulham has now won five of its last seven Premier League games played on

home soil. The Cottagers also have a 100% winning record in league games

played at home when scoring this season; the five games that Fulham has

not won at Craven Cottage in the 2023–24 Premier League have all resulted in

draws when Silva’s team has failed to score.

In contrast, Aston Villa have now been condemned to a trio of successive Villa Park losses despite making the net bulge

in all of them, falling to 3-1 defeats versus Newcastle United and Chelsea

before turning their attention to last Sunday’s visit of Man United.

Unai Emery‘s side were behind with just 17 minutes on the clock as Rasmus Hojlund found the mark for the fifth

Premier League home game running, and even though Douglas Luiz swept

home a second-half leveller for the hosts – coupled with a peculiar shimmy

celebration – super sub Scott McTominay popped up with another

decisive contribution in the opposition box.

The Scotsman’s header in the 86th minute kept fifth-place Aston Villa from

surpassing Tottenham Hotspur, who are now one point ahead of Emery’s team in

the fourth and final Champions League spot. As a result, Man United’s deficit to

their European rivals is now just five points.

 

Despite the crumbling walls of their Villa Park stronghold, Villa has found defensive comfort on the road, where

they haven’t let up a goal in four games in 2024. On February 3, they defeated

Sheffield United 5-0, their sole victory in their last six games in all competitions.

 

As the hosts in 2024, Middlesbrough, Everton, and Chelsea have all been unable to penetrate Villa’s net, and the

Lions have emerged victorious.ending of the score in four of their previous five

encounters with Fulham, with the only blemish on their record during that

period being a 3-0 loss at Craven Cottage the previous season.

After experiencing disappointment in the Africa Cup of Nations final against Ivory

Coast, Fulham’s Nigerian duo Alex Iwobi and Calvin Bassey are expected back this

weekend. Tosin Adarabioyo, meanwhile, may recover from the injury that kept

him out of the victory against Bournemouth.

 

Raul Jimenez will undoubtedly miss this game as he recovers from a serious thigh

injury that would probably keep him out until the end of March. Kenny Tete, on

the other hand, was doubtful, having missed the game due to a calf injury.

 

But because of Muniz’s achievements—he has scored three goals in his last two

Premier League games after failing to score in his first ten—Jimenez’s absence

has not been felt, and the Brazilian should be was again chosen above Broja.

Aston Villa’s midfield pivot Boubacar Kamara left the game midway through the second half due to a “significant”

knee injury, which is expected to ruin his season. This added insult to injury

occurred during Villa’s match against Man United last weekend.

 

The unlucky Frenchman enters Villa’s treatment room alongside fellow chronic

knee sufferers Tyrone Mings and Emiliano Buendia. Meanwhile, Ezri

Konsa will be sidelined for a few more weeks due to a similar condition, and

Jhon Duran is also out due to a hamstring strain.

 

Youri Tielemans or Moussa Diaby can now regularly play for the Lions thanks to Kamara’s catastrophic blow. Emery

should also think about bringing back Pau Torres and Lucas Digne to the

starting lineup after their recuperation from medical issues.

Fulham possible starting lineup:
Leno; Castagne, Diop, Ream, Robinson; Cairney, Palhinha; Decordova-Reid, Pereira, Willian; Muniz

Aston Villa possible starting lineup:
Martinez; Cash, Torres, Lenglet, Digne; Luiz, McGinn; Diaby, Tielemans, Bailey; Watkins

We say: Fulham 1-2 Aston Villa

Only one result is usually on the cards when Fulham score in a Premier League home game, and with Kamara beginning a lengthy spell on the sidelines, the Cottagers will fancy their chances against the out-of-sorts visitors.

Rearguard stability has come naturally to Emery’s men on the road in recent weeks, though, and with Fulham still suspect defensively at times, we can picture Emery’s men breaking the hosts’ golden sequence at Craven Cottage to get their Champions League charge back on track.