MX23RW : Wednesday, December 18 02:30:15| >> :60:3167:3167:
[monks data]
Fulham logo
Championship
Feb 14, 2015 at 3pm UK
 
Ipswich logo

1-2

McCormack (74')
FT(HT: 0-2)
Murphy (5', 45')

Preview: Fulham vs. Ipswich Town

Sports Mole previews Saturday's Championship clash between out-of-form Fulham and promotion hopefuls Ipswich Town at Craven Cottage.

Ipswich Town travel to Craven Cottage on Saturday looking to reestablish themselves among the frontrunners for an automatic promotion place in the Championship.

The Tractor Boys breathed new life into their bid for a return to the Premier League with a 2-1 victory over Sheffield Wednesday in midweek, a result that will go down as one of their most important of the season to date.

Daryl Murphy and Luke Chambers were on the scoresheet as Ipswich came from behind at Portman Road, ending a costly run of form that had seen them pick up just one point from matches against bottom-six trio Brighton & Hove Albion, Wigan Athletic and Rotherham United.

The damage from that form may have already been done, with five points now separating them from league leaders Middlesbrough, but with two of the top three not in Championship action this weekend, Mick McCarthy's side have the chance to put some pressure back on the teams above them.

Inconsistency away from home has been Ipswich's main barrier to a title charge this season, with five wins, six draws and four defeats on the road so far, including losses in their last two away outings.

By contrast, they have the best home record in the division, so if they find a way to string a few positive results together away from home then they should be challenging for the top two come May.

McCarthy is hopeful that David McGoldrick will be back available in time for the match, while new signing Dylan Connolly has also been included in the matchday squad.

Tyrone Mings could be recalled having started on the bench against Wednesday, but Luke Hyam remains sidelined and will play no part.

Fulham go into the match having begun to slip back down the table in recent weeks and, with those below them starting to pick up more regular points, the nervous glances over their shoulders are becoming more frequent.

Indeed, Tuesday's late 3-1 defeat to Bolton Wanderers saw them drop to within five points of the relegation zone having only managed two wins in their eight league matches since Christmas.

The saga over Bryan Ruiz's future at the club came to an end as FIFA blocked his move to Levante, which means that manager Kit Symons could have the Costa Rican midfielder available this weekend.

Despite languishing down in 18th place going into the match, Fulham could climb into the top half of the table with a victory should other results also go their way, and they will be confident of getting at least something from the match in front of their own fans.

The Cottagers have only been beaten twice in their last 11 home league matches, a run that stretches back to September. However, they will be tested at Craven Cottage over the coming weeks, with Ipswich, Derby County and Bournemouth their next three visitors.

Long-term injury absentee Tim Hoogland is nearing a return but is unlikely to be fit enough to start this weekend's match, with Symons keen to take the right-back's recovery slowly.

At the other end of the field, Hugo Rodallega and Ross McCormack are expected to lead the line once again despite Cauley Woodrow pushing for a start.

Fulham:

Form in Championship: LWWLDL
Form in all competitions: WDLLDL

Possible starting lineup: Bettinelli; Grimmer, Hutchinson, Bodurov, Stafylidis; Christensen, Tunnicliffe, Kacaniklic, Fofana; Rodallega, McCormack

Ipswich:

Form in Championship: LWLDLW
Form in all competitions: LWLDLW

Possible starting lineup: Bialkowski; Chambers, Smith, Berra, Mings; Ambrose, Bishop, Skuse, Hunt; McGoldrick, Murphy

Sports Mole says: 1-2


ID:205033: cacheID:205033:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:6717:
Written by
Barney Corkhill
No Data Analysis info

Previews by email

Click here to get Sports Mole's daily email of previews and predictions for every major game!


Restore Data
Share this article now:
Ipswich's Daryl Murphy in action against Barnet during a friendly match on July 20, 2013
Read Next:
Murphy inspires Ipswich comeback
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool15113131131836
2Chelsea16104237191834
3Arsenal1686229151430
4Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest168442119228
5Manchester CityMan City168352823527
6Bournemouth167452421325
7Aston Villa167452425-125
8Fulham166642422224
9Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton166642625124
10Tottenham HotspurSpurs1672736191723
11Brentford167273230223
12Newcastle UnitedNewcastle166552321223
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd166462119222
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham165472129-819
15Crystal Palace163761721-416
16Everton153661421-715
17Leicester CityLeicester163582134-1314
18Ipswich TownIpswich162681628-1212
19Wolverhampton WanderersWolves1623112440-169
20Southampton1612131136-255


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!