Match Preview
Newcastle United vrs Fulham
Premier League Match Day 09 25-26 at St. James' Park
Saturday 25th October 2025, KO: 15:00
Referee:
Tony Harrington (Cleveland)
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Two Premier League teams sitting in the bottom half of the table meet at St James’ Park on Saturday afternoon as visitors Fulham face Newcastle United.
While the Magpies are currently languishing in 14th spot in the top-flight standings with only nine points, the Cottagers sit one place and one point further back in 15th.
Fulham were flying high in the middle of September and had put together a three-game winning run in all competitions, but that has since been followed by three successive Premier League defeats against Aston Villa, Bournemouth and Arsenal.
The Cottagers, who last lost more consecutive league games in March/April 2023 (four), fell to a slender 1-0 home defeat at the hands of the Gunners last weekend, registering just one shot on target, and head coach Marco Silva has urged his team to be more "ruthless, aggressive enough and take right decisions" if they wish to turn their fortunes around.
Only newly-promoted duo Burnley and Sunderland (21 each) have registered fewer shots on target than Fulham in the Premier League so far this season (23), while the Cottagers’ average of 2.9 shots on target per game is their lowest ever in a top-flight campaign.
Conceding goals has also been a problem for Fulham, who have kept only one clean sheet in their last 17 Premier League matches (1-0 home win over Leeds last month). They have also conceded at least one goal in each of their last 10 encounters with Saturday’s opponent Newcastle.
However, after enduring an eight-game winless run against Newcastle in the Premier League between 2018 and 2024 (D2 L6), Fulham completed the league double over the Magpies last season, and they are now seeking to win three in a row for the first time since March 2017.
After eight Premier League games, no team have kept more clean sheets this season than Newcastle (five, level with leaders Arsenal), while games involving the Magpies have seen fewer goals scored than any other side’s this term (14 - seven for, seven against).
Eddie Howe can certainly take encouragement from his team’s defensive stability thus far, but results remain the true measure of progress and Newcastle have struggled for consistency so far this season, posting two wins, three draws and three defeats across their opening eight league matches.
Both of Newcastle’s two top-flight victories have taken place at home against teams currently sitting in the relegation zone - a 1-0 win over Wolves and a 2-0 win over Nottingham Forest - with their success against the latter followed by a 2-1 defeat at Brighton & Hove Albion last weekend.
However, Howe’s men returned to winning ways on Wednesday night when they brushed aside Jose Mourinho’s Benfica by a 3-0 scoreline at St James’ Park in the Champions League, thanks to Anthony Gordon’s first-half opener and Harvey Barnes’s second-half brace.
Newcastle will now shift their focus back to domestic duties and they head into Saturday’s contest aware that they were beaten 2-1 by Fulham in this exact fixture in February of last season; only once have they lost back-to-back home league matches against the Cottagers, doing so back in 1950-51.
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After an eight-game winless run against Newcastle in the Premier League between 2018 and 2024, Fulham completed the league double over the Magpies last season.
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Newcastle lost this exact fixture 2-1 last season – only once have they lost back-to-back home league games against Fulham, doing so in 1950/1951.
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Fulham have lost each of their last three Premier League games, last losing more consecutively in March/April 2023 (4). The Cottagers have also kept just one clean sheet in their last 17 Premier League games (1-0 v Leeds last month).
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Only Burnley and Sunderland (21 each) have had fewer shots on target than Fulham in the Premier League this season (23), with the Cottagers failing to register one against Arsenal last time out. Indeed, the Cottagers’ average of 2.9 shots on target per game is their lowest ever in a Premier League campaign.
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Fulham are – along with Wolves – one of just two teams yet to have a player score more than once for them in the Premier League this season. No side has benefitted from more own goals than the Cottagers this term (2), with six different players scoring their other six goals.
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Fulham’s Alex Iwobi has made 299 Premier League appearances. He would be the first Nigerian to reach 300, and fifth African player overall after Kolo Touré (353), Mohamed Salah (309), Wilfried Zaha (305) and Jordan Ayew (305).
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Newcastle have won just two of their last 10 Premier League games (D3 L5), with both victories coming against sides currently sitting in the relegation zone (1-0 v Wolves, 2-0 v Nottingham Forest).
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No side have kept more clean sheets in the Premier League this season than Newcastle (5, level with Arsenal). Indeed, the Magpies’ league games have seen fewer goals scored than any other side’s this term (14 – F7 A7).
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Nick Woltemade has scored four goals in his five Premier League games for Newcastle. The only players to reach five goals in six or fewer appearances for the Magpies are Loïc Rémy (5), Les Ferdinand (6) and Papiss Cissé (6).
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As a team, Newcastle have made more line breaking passes behind the defensive line than any other side in the Premier League this season (61), with captain Bruno Guimarães leading the way among players (15).
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Source Oliver Thomas at SportsMole/BBCSports