Fulham will entertain Brighton and Hove Albion at Craven Cottage in the Premier League on Thursday evening.
The Cottagers were good value for a point against London rivals Tottenham Hotspur at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday. However, the result saw Marco Silva’s side slip to 10th in the Premier League table, level on points with three other teams around them.
Winless in two games, Silva hopes to get back to winning ways against a strong Brighton side, who have started the season strongly under new boss Fabian Hurzeler and sit fourth in the table.
Fulham Team News
Tom Cairney and Sasa Lukic are both suspended, the former was shown a red card against Spurs following a VAR review and the latter has picked up five yellow cards. Harrison Reed (knee) and Joachim Andersen (calf) remain sidelined with injuries. Thursday’s game may also come too soon for summer signing Jorge Cuenca (knock).
Andreas Pereira was not included in the squad against Spurs due to tactical reasons but is expected to feature in some capacity against Brighton.
Predicted Fulham lineup vs Brighton (4-2-3-1)
Goalkeeper
Bernd Leno is Fulham’s undisputed No.1 and should start against Brighton.
Defence
Lining up in a 4-2-3-1 shape in front of the German goalkeeper, Fulham’s back four is expected to consist of Kenny Tete, Issa Diop, Calvin Bassey and Antonee Robinson.
Centre-backs Diop and Bassey have to be switched on from the first whistle until the last to keep the Brighton forwards at bay. Tete and Robinson will bomb up and down the right and left flank, trying to create problems for the visitors. The full-backs also have to be defensively at their best to neutralize the threats of Kaoru Mitoma and Georginio Rutter.
Midfield
Andreas Pereira is expected to be retained in the starting XI, and the Brazilian’s flair and incisive passing should complement Sander Berge in the middle of the park.
Emile Smith Rowe has impacted the Cottagers’ attack hugely since arriving from Arsenal in the summer. He will act as the glue between the midfield and attack from the No.10 role, trying to unlock the Brighton backline.
Attack
Alex Iwobi and Reiss Nelson should provide energy, width and creativity to the hosts’ attack. They will try to cause problems for the Brighton full-backs.
Silva could give Rodrigo Muniz the nod ahead of Raul Jimenez to lead the attack. With his physicality, direct running and pace, Muniz may prove to be a real handful for the Seagulls’ defenders. Harry Wilson, Adama Traore and Jimenez have the qualities to make a difference off the bench in the second half.
