Fulham hoping to return to winning ways as Villa clash looms.
Fulham vs
Aston Villa
In a captivating Saturday tea-time showdown, Fulham aim to bounce back at Craven Cottage against Aston Villa, as they seek to halt the Villans' impressive run and avoid an unprecedented back-to-back home defeat in this fixture.
Fulham
After what seemed like a resurgence with an unbeaten streak in their last five Premier League games, Fulham experienced a setback before the international break with a 3-2 loss to Manchester City. The Cottagers initially took the lead, but a brace from Mateo Kovačić in the 32nd and 47th minutes turned the match around. Despite a late goal from Rodrigo Muniz in the 88th minute, Fulham couldn't secure any points.
This defeat, following consecutive victories over Newcastle United (3-1) and Nottingham Forest (1-0), caused Fulham to fall two places to 8th in the Premier League table. They currently hold 11 points with three wins, two draws, and two losses. Although Fulham remains unbeaten in their three home matches this season (2 wins, 1 draw), they lost this fixture 2-1 against Aston Villa last season.
Marco Silva hopes his team can maintain composure in front of the home fans to avoid back-to-back home defeats to Aston Villa, which would be a first in the club's history. Fulham is expected to deploy a 4—2—3—1 formation featuring Raul Jiménez, who recently scored a stunning free-kick in Mexico's 2-0 victory against the USA. Unfortunately, Carlos Vinícius and Saša Lukić are unavailable for this match.
Aston Villa
Aston Villa remained in 5th place following their goalless draw against Manchester United right before the international break. They currently have 14 points from 4 wins, 2 draws, and 1 loss.
Villa will travel to London aiming to extend their five-game unbeaten run in the Premier League, having recorded three wins and two draws recently. Their confidence is bolstered by their impressive record in the capital, with just one loss in their last 12 Premier League games in London.
Adding to their momentum, Aston Villa have won five of their last six Premier League games against Fulham. They'll aim for a fourth consecutive victory over Fulham, having secured wins in their last three encounters.
A 4-2-3-1 formation is expected against Fulham, with Ollie Watkins leading the attack. John McGinn is ruled out for this weekend, while Tyrone Mings and Boubacar Kamara are nearing a return to the squad.
