After what seems like an eternity, but was in fact only two weeks of international football, the Craven Cottage faithful will return to life beside the River Thames as we welcome Aston Villa to our lovely part of London this Saturday for a traditional 15:00 hours kick-off. Who`ll emerge victorious, time will tell!
Vital Quotes:
To follow
Fulham Team News:
Martin Jol will be hoping that the talisman that is Dimitar Berbatov will have shaken off the injury that has seen him miss the last two fixtures. He`ll also be hoping that Mladen Petric will also have recovered.
Another doubt is Bryan Ruiz who picked up a thigh injury whilst playing for his country during the international break.
Player to watch: Steve Sidwell
One of two Fulham players who have worn the claret and blue of Aston Villa, the other being Aaron Hughes, Sidwell will be keen to put in a good display, in midfield which could very well be an area that decides the outcome of this game.
Villa Team News:
Paul Lambert brings his troubled side to Craven Cottage buoyed by the availability of Stephen Ireland again.
Also likely to feature, despite having a gashed leg is Joe Bennett.
Player to watch: Christian Benteke
A tall rangy, powerful striker who`ll provide a stern test for big Brede Hangeland.
Match Facts & Stats
The statistics show that our record, in the Premier League, against Villa is pretty poor. In 22 meetings we`ve only managed to win 3 In meetings at Craven Cottage, there have been five draws in the last eight meetings.
Ref Watch:
The officials chosen to keep law and order in this fixture are:-
Referee – Chris Foy
Assistants – M. McDonough and D C Richards
Fourth Official – I. Williamson
Match Prediction:
Our home form has once again looked to be solid and with Aston Villa not the best of shapes as Paul Lambert attempts to exert his own identity on the side, this has all the makings of a solid home win, even more so if Dimitar Berbatov returns to the starting eleven. I`m going for a Fulham win, possibly by two clear goals.
Next Fixtures:
Next up for Fulham is a trip down the M4 to take on Reading and a reunion with our old friend Pav the Russkie!
