Fulham vs West Brom
Date: 02/11/2020
K/O: 17:30
Venue: Craven Cottage
Referee: Simon Hooper
TV: Sky Sports Box Office
Fulham take on West Bromwich Albion in the Premier Leagues first match on Monday, with both teams yet to open their account in terms of victories this season. The newly-promoted pair went neck and neck for second place in the Championship last season and finished within two points of each other. However, they’ve been unable to replicate the same intensity in England’s top flight, scoring just about once per game this season.
West Brom seemed to peak at home to Chelsea in the 2nd week, going 3-0 up within the first half-hour, only to eventually succumb to a 3-3 draw. While the concession of the equaliser felt like a kick in the teeth, the performance was one from which several positives could be drawn. Unfortunately for them, they’ve been unable to truly capitalise on that, scoring just once in the three following games.
Their summer signing, Huddersfield’s Karlan Grant did get on the scoresheet late against Brighton with an emphatic finish after a good first touch and he will be looking to carry forward that momentum into Monday’s game and hopefully even beyond that. The Baggies face an extremely torrid run of fixtures following this fixture against Scott Parker’s men; Tottenham, Manchester United, Manchester City and Liverpool comprise four of their next eight fixtures, with Crystal Palace and Sheffield in there as well.
Fulham too have found goals and points hard to come by this season. Following a mouth-watering 4-3 clash against Leeds on the 2nd match week, they’ve scored just twice, and are yet to keep a clean sheet. Of course, injuries have played a massive part in the slow start to their season, but home advantage against fellow strugglers may just be what stirs the Londoners on to post their first victory of the season. Naturally, Alexander Mitrovic’s contribution will be key in doing so.
Team News
Fulham
Aboubakar Kamara was sent off late in the defeat to Crystal Palace last Saturday. He will be serving his suspension, and will thus be unavailable for selection. Joachin Anderson trained for a “modified session” on October 29th, his first involvement since his foot injury. I personally don’t expect to see him rushed back into action, especially since Scott Parker emphasised the modified nature of his training involvement.
Neeskens Kebano likewise, will be assessed following a knock but this game likely comes a week too soon for him. Kenny Tete, Terence Kongolo and Josh Onomah will be unavailable for a significant period of time, as they nurse long-term injuries.
West Brom
Sam Field and Hal Robson-Kanu are expected to miss out till late November, as they recover from knee and arm injuries respectively. Dara O’Shea is back in full training ahead of the trip to Craven Cottage. He missed the 1-1 draw with Brighton due to an ankle injury but should be good to return to the squad on Monday night.
Kamil Grosicki could also be included after returning to the club, following the news that his loan move to Nottingham Forest this month had not been ratified by the EFL. Slaven Bilic had only named 24 of the 25 players who need to be registered, which leaves a spot vacant for Grosicki’s taking.
Predicted Starting XIs
Fulham (4-3-3): Areola; Aina, Adarabioyo, Ream, Robinson; Zambo-Anguissa, Reed, Cairney; Loftus-Cheek, Mitrovic, Ademola Lookman
West Brom (4-1-4-1): Johnstone; Furlong, Ivanovic, Ajayi, Townsend; Jake Livermore; Periera, Gallagher, Krovinovic, Diangrana; Grant
Score Prediction: Fulham 0-1 West Brom
Despite Fulham’s home advantage, it is hard to look past the fact that they have several players out injured. Further, with a string of draws coming into this game, I expect West Brom to build on those 1 pointers and secure the first win of their season.
