Fulham secured all three points on Saturday after they mustered a 2-0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers at the Craven Cottage. The tough run of fixtures for the Cottagers continues as they are due to face Derby County in their next Championship fixture at the Pride Park Stadium this Saturday.
Slavisa Jokanovic’s side are currently placed 5th in the league standings, having collected 59 points from 34 games. Fulham are 8 points behind 2nd placed Cardiff City and there is no denying that they will be aiming to clinch the 2nd spot to bag an automatic qualification to the Premier League.
Here is how we expect Jokanovic to roll out his starting line-up against Gary Rowett’s men.
Team News
Apparently, there is no bad news from the treatment room.
Goalkeeper
Marcus Bettinelli is expected to play the role of the custodian once again. The shot-stopper has 6 clean sheets to his name from 14 league appearances and given that he fared in a very confident manner against the Wolves, he deserves to get the nod to start.
Defence
Tim Ream’s towering stature should provide him the opportunity to start at the heart of the defence alongside Tomas Kalas. While Kalas is superb in the air, makes good use of the ball and makes sharp tackles and interceptions, Ream was resilient in the last league fixture and deserves to get the nod to start.
Matt Targett has really dazzled from the left-back position for the London based outfit and he is one of the first names to find a place in Jokanovic’s starting XI. Meanwhile, Ryan Fredericks would be a sensible option for the right-back slot. The Rams have scored 5 goals in their last 2 games and there is no denying that Fulham’s defenders will have to be on their toes.
Midfield
Kevin McDonald is expected to be shown the green light to start from the middle of the park owing to the tremendous work-ethic he has displayed of late. He is likely to be partnered with Stefan Johansen and Tom Cairney. Johansen and Cairney do have the required pace and vision to create magical moments for Fulham.
Attack
Ryan Sessegnon is unarguably one of the hottest properties that the Championship side have at their disposal and he is expected to be chalked on the left-wing. The sensational youngster found the back of the net against Wolves and it goes without saying that he would be a threat to Derby County’s defensive line.
From the right-wing, Floyd Ayite is anticipated to showcase his calibre once again. Aleksandar Mitrovic has notched up 2 goals in his last 2 games and he is expected to spearhead Fulham’s line-up in the upcoming fixture.
