Fulham find themselves having a decent season in the Premier League this campaign despite being plagued by a lack of consistency all through the season. Meanwhile, Newcastle United have had to endure a disappointing Premier League campaign so far, judging by the standards of their achievements in the league last season.
The Cottagers added quite several big names to their ranks during the transfer window. Signing the likes of Nigerian attacking midfielder Alex Iwobi from Everton, Calvin Bassey joined from Ajax Amsterdam in Netherlands. Former Wolves frontman Raul Jimenez also joined the Cottagers, Timothy Castagne from Leicester City while Adama Traore joined from Wolves on a free transfer. Fulham also got several players on loan such as Fode Ballo-Toure from Seria A side AC Milan, Kevin Mbabu from Servette FC in the Swiss League, Paulo Gazzaniga from Girona in La Liga, Joe Bryan from OGC Nice in French Ligue 1, Ivan Cavaleiro from Alanyaspor in Turkish League, Terence Kongolo from Le Havre FC in French Ligue 1 and Armando Broja from Chelsea.
Departures from Craven Cottage include Aleksandar Mitrovic, an integral member of their squad who was signed by one of the money merchants of the Saudi Pro League Al Ahli while also having to return players whose loan contracts had expired such as Cedric Soares from Arsenal FC, and Layvin Kurzawa from Paris SG amongst a few others.Â
Newcastle United were a busy side in the transfer market in a bid to bolster their ranks. The Magpies signed highly sought-after Italian midfield talent Sandro Tonali from AC Milan, exciting winger Harvey Barnes from Leicester City, Tino Livramento from Southampton, Yankuba Minteh from Odense BK, and Lewis Hall who joined on loan from Chelsea.
In terms of outgoings, the Magpies off-loaded the likes of Allan Saint-Maximin who joined Saudi Pro League side Al-Ahli, Chris Wood to Nottingham Forest, and Karl Darlow to Leeds. They also sent quite several players out on loan including Ryan Fraser to Southampton, Jamal Lewis to Watford, Isaac Hayden to QPR, Yankuba Minteh to Feyenoord, Jeff Hendrick to Sheffield Wednesday, and Harrison Ashby to Swansea while Javier Manquillo left for Celta Vigo on a free transfer.
Fulham are in 12th place on the Premier League table after 28 rounds of matches. Their record of 10 wins, 5 draws, and 13 losses has seen them gather 35 points. The Cottagers are not a team who are shy in front of goal, scoring 40 times already this season but their defensive frailties have seen them concede 44 goals in return, leaving them with a goal difference of -4.Â
Despite lacking consistency all season, The Cottagers have managed to grind out important results in recent times, recording 3 wins, 0 draws, and 2 losses. A vital 3-1 win over Bournemouth was followed by a narrow defeat at the hands of Aston Villa, however, Marco Silver’s men bounced back to winning ways in style as they subjected Manchester United to a 2-1 defeat at Old Trafford and then followed up with a 3-0 win over Brighton before suffering defeat against Wolves at the Molineux.
The Magpies have failed to replicate the standards that saw them reach the EFL Cup final and finish in fourth place last season in the Premier League this campaign. They sit in 10th position having gathered 40 points from 28 matches with a record of 12 wins, 4 draws, and 12 losses at the time of writing. Newcastle United have been quite prolific in front of goal, scoring 59 times already this term but their evident drop-off in the defensive department has seen them concede 48 goals already this season which is 15 more than they let in over the entirety of the previous PL campaign.
Eddie Howe’s men have failed to find consistency this season, with their form in recent weeks (2 wins, 1 draw, and 2 losses) perfectly sums up their season so far. In their last five Premier League outings, they narrowly edged past Nottingham Forest in a five-goal thriller. A draw against Bournemouth was followed by a 4-1 thrashing by Arsenal at the Emirates. Newcastle United bounced back from the Arsenal loss with a comfortable 3-0 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers before narrowly losing out 3-2 against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
Statistics reveal that the head-to-head record between Fulham and Newcastle United is perfect even, after playing 26 matches between them. The Cottagers have 11 wins (scoring 25 goals) while The Magpies also have 11 wins (scoring 32 goals) with 4 draws between them.
Match tickets
The epic match at Craven Cottage in Fulham kicks off on Saturday, 6th of April 2024 at 15:00 GMT.
The 25,700-capacity stadium will host this clash between two teams aiming to finish in one of the European places.
Getting tickets for the Fulham vs Newcastle United tickets could take a lot of work given the standard of this game. Hence, you are advised to search ticket reselling sites should they be expectedly sold out on each club’s channels.Â
Team news
Line-ups
The only injury absentee for Fulham is Raul Jimenez (hamstring) at the time of writing. However, the Mexican should be fit enough to feature in this game. In his absence, Marco Silva can rely on the form of Alex Iwobi and Muniz to help his side secure all three points at home.
Fulham: Leno, Robinson, Bassey, Adarabioyo, Castagne, Reed, Lukic, Iwobi, Pereira, Wilson, Muniz
Injury absentees for Newcastle United include Nick Pope (dislocated shoulder), Matt Target (hamstring), Lewis Hall (injured), Kieran Trippier (calf), Joelingnton (Thigh), Callum Wilson (muscle) while Sandro Tonali remains suspended due to betting related offenses.
Newcastle: Dubravka, Livramento, Schär, Botman, Burn, Longstaff, Guimaraes, Willock, Murphy, Isak, Gordon
Prediction
Fulham will look to press heavily from the front and push their opponents back with sharply direct football when the ball is won. Meanwhile, Newcastle United adopted a high-intensity style of play. Off the ball, they press aggressively from the front and when they win back the ball, they move it up the pitch quickly with crisp and neat interchanges.Â
We expect a hotly contested encounter with the Cottagers edging this one.
Fulham 2-1 Newcastle United
