Fulham will be aiming to bounce back to winning ways in the Premier League when they entertain Aston Villa at Craven Cottage on Thursday evening.
The Cottagers are on a three-game winless run, although Marco Silva has put a halt to their back-to-back defeats with a credible point against Bournemouth at the weekend. A poor run of results in recent weeks has seen them drop into the bottom half of the table.
With another home game on the cards, Silva will want his side to pick up all three points against a struggling Aston Villa side.
Fulham have no new injury concerns, with Layvin Kurzawa, Kenny Tete and Manor Solomon all set to remain sidelined, while Nathaniel Chalobah will serve the final game of his three-match ban following his sending off against Newcastle United earlier this month.
Goalkeeper
Bernd Leno will be hoping to keep a clean sheet this time around after conceding twice against Bournemouth last weekend.
Defence
Marco Silva will be tempted to retain the Fulham lineup that played so well against Bournemouth. This means Bobby Decordova-Reid, Issa Diop, Tim Ream and Antonee Robinson should form the backline ahead of Leno in the Fulham lineup.
Diop should line up alongside Ream in central defence, with Decordova-Reid and Robinson operating from the full-back positions in the Fulham lineup.
The Cottagers’ back four must maintain their defensive shape throughout the 90 minutes to keep a pacey and energetic Aston Villa attack quiet.
Midfield
Harrison Reed could form the double pivot with Joao Palhinha at the heart of Fulham’s midfield. Reed has struck a good understanding with Palhinha in the centre of the park in the Fulham lineup, and the duo should look to continue in the same vein. Their focus on Thursday has to be getting control of the game as quickly as possible.
Andreas Pereira has been a breath of fresh air for Fulham, bringing creativity, energy and tenacity to Silva’s side. He is a sure-shot starter against Aston Villa, as Silva hopes to find a formula to get back to winning ways.
Attack
Fresh from scoring against Bournemouth, Aleksandar Mitrovic should go into the midweek league fixture with a lot of confidence. The big Serb will be raring to get himself on the scoresheet again, and going by Villa’s shaky defence, he is certain to fancy his chances.
Daniel James will be expected to have a productive evening on the right flank, with Neeskens Kebano possibly operating from the other wing in the Fulham lineup. The two wide players must provide proper service for Mitrovic to thrive inside the box.
Silva will have offensive options in the form of Harry Wilson, Carlos Vinicius and Willian to bring on from the bench if required.
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