Premier League: Fulham and Newcastle are Ready to Rock Craven Cottage

Fulham vs Newcastle United

The Premier League is back following the first international break of the season and Craven Cottage is one of the places to be this weekend.

Fulham are set to host Newcastle in what will be a battle of two upstarts as both are pushing to finish at the top half of the table by the end of the 2022-23 season.

The Cottagers are coming off a 3-2 win over Nottingham Forest in the last time out, while Newcastle aim to improve their Premier League 2022 results following a 1-1 draw against Bournemouth.

The hosts are currently at sixth place with 11 points, which is surprising to say the least, while the visitors are at 10^th place with eight points. But despite their difference at the table, overall, this should be a tight contest.

Talking Points

Dream start for Fulham

Fulham are known as a yo-yo club since they would bounce in and out of the Premier League during these past few seasons. Many predicted that the Cottagers are going to be relegated at the end of this season, but they might stay longer than most would expect given their auspicious start.

The in-form Aleksandar Mitrovic has been at the heart of everything good that’s happening for Fulham. Seven games in and he’s already bagged six goals, and he’s just getting started.

The Serbian hitman, though, had his foot bandaged following his hat-trick performance against Sweden during the international break but it’s not expected to be serious.

For Fulham to maintain their pace moving forward, Mitrovic can’t do it all alone and he will need his other teammates to produce consistently. So far, there have been four other players who have opened their scoring accounts this term.

Joao Palhinha is another key player for Marco Silva’s side with two goals, but he won’t be available since he’s the first player this season to be suspended due to an accumulation of yellow cards. Thomas Cairney will have to deputise for the Portuguese midfielder.

Full-back Antonee Robinson is expected to make his return after missing out against Nottingham Forest a fortnight ago, while youngsters Harry Wilson and Manor Solomon are still recovering from their knee injuries.

Fitness concerns for Newcastle United

The Magpies had too many draws lately and Eddie Howe is hopeful that he’ll have a healthier squad in order to get their first victory since the opening day of the season.

Callum Wilson was out for their last five matches due to a strained hamstring, while Bruno Guimaraes is recovering from a thigh knock following his latest international duty for Brazil.

Allan Saint-Maximin has missed Newcastle’s last three matches also with a hamstring injury, but he has a strong chance of making it back to the bench this weekend.

These three players will play an important role on Eddie Howe’s offence especially since Alexander Isak is ruled out after playing for Sweden last week. Newcastle’s prized summer acquisition is said to miss three weeks’ worth of action.

History

Fulham currently have 12 wins in their 28 Premier League matches against Newcastle, which is the most that they have against any opponent in the competition (also 12 against Bolton).

The Cottagers have also won their last two league fixtures at home and they can stretch their win streak to three games for the first time since September 2012 (where they won four straight) should they beat Newcastle this Saturday.

Marco Silva’s side has also won three of their last five league games (L2), which is as many wins as they recorded in their last 30 Premier League matches (D14, L13).

However, Newcastle have beaten Fulham in their last two league visits following a run of six consecutive defeats at Craven Cottage, although they’ve yet to beat them in three league matches in a row.

Newcastle are winless in their last six Premier League games following their opening victory against Nottingham Forest which is their longest run without a single win since November 2021 (14 games).

Betting Tip

The SBOTOP Premier League 2022 odds are slightly underestimating the hosts in this fixture. Newcastle are favoured to win at 2.36, while Fulham are not far off at 2.90 in the 1X2 market.

But given how evenly matched Fulham and Newcastle are, we’re inclined to go for Draw @ 3.35 which would give these two clubs a valuable points each.

Despite the attacking quality from both teams, this might be a grinded-out affair just like in their past encounters – making Under 2.50 @ 1.94 a plausible alternative bet.

 

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