Two top-half teams in the Premier League go head-to-head at Craven Cottage on Thursday night as Fulham play host to Brighton & Hove Albion.
The Cottagers and the Seagulls meet for the first time since the beginning of March when the former beat the latter 3-0 on home soil.
Match preview
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Just over a week after suffering a heavy 4-1 home defeat to Wolverhampton Wanderers, Fulham salvaged a point in a 1-1 draw with Tottenham Hotspur in North London last weekend that ended in eventful fashion for captain Tom Cairney.
The midfielder cancelled out Brennan Johnson's opener when he lashed home a brilliant leveller, before being sent off for a late challenge with seven minutes remaining. However, Spurs had no answer to the Cottagers' rearguard resolve with 10 men and were forced to share the spoils.
Marco Silva was left frustrated after the match as he insisted that his Fulham side "deserved to win" against Spurs. A draw means that they have slipped to 10th in the Premier League table, level on points with three other teams around them, while they are just four points behind Thursday's opponents Brighton in fourth.
Fulham have enjoyed facing Brighton in the Premier League, as they have won four and drawn four of their last eight meetings in the top flight, winning their last two on home soil by an aggregate score of 5-1; only against Norwich City (also eight) have they faced an opponent as many times without losing in the division.
However, success in midweek fixtures has been hard to come by, as they have only won one of their last six league games (D1 L4) played on either Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday, having previously won their first four such matches following their return to the top flight in 2022.
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After securing maximum points in back-to-back 2-1 victories over Manchester City and Bournemouth, Brighton were fancied by many to win a third successive Premier League game at home to basement club Southampton last Friday.
However, Kaoru Mitoma's first-half opener was cancelled out by Flynn Downes just before the hour mark, and the points were eventually shared in a 1-1 draw, as a goal from Cameron Archer was ruled out after Adam Armstrong was deemed to have been interfering with play by VAR.
Fabian Hurzeler admitted after the match that his Brighton side "only deserved a draw" - their fourth of the season at the Amex - as they lacked intensity and a clinical edge in the final third, with only five of their 22 shots registered on target.
Nevertheless, Brighton ended the day inside the top two of the Premier League for the first time in their history, and have since moved back down to fourth spot, level on points with Man City in fifth and just two points behind Arsenal in second place.
Before concluding 2024 with fixtures against Leicester City, West Ham United and Aston Villa, Brighton travel to Craven Cottage where they have failed to win any of their last four visits (D1 L3), while they have also failed to come out on top in any of their last nine away league matches in London, last having a longer winless streak in the capital between 1961 and 1967 (10).
Team News
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Fulham duo Cairney and Sasa Lukic are both suspended, the latter has picked up five yellow cards, while Harrison Reed (knee) and Joachim Andersen (calf) remain sidelined with injuries. Thursday's game may also come too soon for Jorge Cuenca (knock).
Andreas Pereira missed the draw with Spurs in the wake of a recent interview in relation to a failed transfer to Marseille last summer. Silva insisted that the Brazilian's omission was a "tactical decision" and the midfielder "is going to be back stronger to help the team", which suggests that he may feature in some capacity on Thursday.
Raul Jimenez is at risk of being replaced by Rodrigo Muniz up front having failed to score in each of his last five starts, while Harry Wilson will continue to push Alex Iwobi and Reiss Nelson for a start on either flank.
As for Brighton, James Milner (hamstring) and Solly March (knee) both remain sidelined with injuries, while Adam Webster (hamstring), Ferdi Kadioglu (toe) and Jack Hinshelwood (knee) will all be assessed having recently spent time in the treatment room.
A "small issue" kept Joel Veltman out of the matchday squad against Southampton, while Brajan Gruda was also absent through illness, and they will need a once-over, as will Mitoma and Yasin Ayari who both sustained knocks last time out.
Captain Lewis Dunk should be fit to return to the starting lineup after the centre-back recovered from a calf problem to feature as a substitute against Southampton, while midfielder Carlos Baleba is available after serving a one-match suspension.
Fulham possible starting lineup:
Leno; Tete, Diop, Bassey, Robinson; Berge, Pereira; Iwobi, Smith Rowe, Nelson; Jimenez
Brighton & Hove Albion possible starting lineup:
Verbruggen; Veltman, Van Hecke, Dunk, Estupinan; Baleba, O'Riley; Rutter, Pedro, Mitoma; Welbeck
We say: Fulham 1-1 Brighton & Hove Albion
Both teams have scored in all six of Fulham's home matches so far this season, while Brighton have found the net in all six of their away games and have kept just two clean sheets, so goals at both ends could be on the cards at Craven Cottage.
Although Fulham have a strong record against Brighton, we are backing the Seagulls to claim at least a share of the spoils from a fixture that has ended as a draw in three of the last six meetings between the two clubs.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Oliver Thomas
