Match Preview
Fulham vrs Wolverhampton Wanderers
Premier League Match Day 10 25/26 at Craven Cottage
Saturday 1st November 2025 KO: 15:00
Referee:
John Brooks (Leicestershire)
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Fulham play host to basement club Wolverhampton Wanderers at Craven Cottage on Saturday afternoon
The Cottagers beat Wolves 2-1 at Molineux in their last league meeting in February and only once in their history have they ever won back-to-back matches against the Old Gold, doing so in the second tier back in October 1908.
Fulham have struggled to build on their 11th-placed finish in the Premier League last season and find themselves down in 17th spot after winning only two of their opening nine matches this term, hovering just three points above the relegation zone.
No current Premier League team are enduring a longer losing run than the Cottagers, who have suffered defeat in each of their last four matches - they have not had a longer losing streak within the same season since losing nine games in a row between February and April in the 2018-19 campaign.
After coming up short in defeats to Aston Villa, Bournemouth and Arsenal, Marco Silva’s men looked on course to claim a point in last weekend’s clash with Newcastle United at St James’ Park, until they conceded their third 90th-minute goal of the season to lose 2-1. Fulham have conceded 23 winners in the 90th minute of games in PL history, with only Tottenham (27) and Aston Villa (26) ever conceding more.
Fulham managed to stop the rot in the EFL Cup on Tuesday, but only just as they had goalkeeper Benjamin Lecomte to thank for saving three penalties in a 5-4 shootout victory over League One outfit Wycombe Wanderers following a 1-1 draw in 90 minutes of their fourth-round tie.
Silva and co will welcome a return to Craven Cottage this weekend, as they have collected seven of their eight PL points on home soil this season. However, they have failed to win any of their last five top-flight home matches against teams starting the day in the relegation zone (D3 L2), with one of those seeing them put to the sword 4-1 by Wolves in November last season.
Wolves are the only team yet to win in the Premier League this season after collecting just two points from their first nine matches (D2 L7). The Old Gold failed to win their opening 10 games last season (D3 L7) and no side in top-flight history has ever started successive seasons with 10 winless games.
Molineux became a hostile environment last weekend as Wolves suffered a disappointing 3-2 home defeat to newly-promoted Burnley, who scored a dramatic 95th-minute winner to leave the Old Gold rooted to the foot of the table and six points adrift of safety.
Vitor Pereira’s men have since been eliminated from the EFL Cup after they were beaten 4-3 by 10-man Chelsea in a thrilling West Midlands encounter on Wednesday. Three first-half strikes helped the Blues reach the quarter-finals, despite a hectic second half in which David Moller Wolfe (2) and Tolu Arokodare scored for Wolves, with Jamie Gittens settling the tie for Chelsea with a long-range worldie.
Wolves can now focus on attempting to turn their Premier League fortunes around, with Pereira seeking to avoid becoming the first manager since Sheffield United’s Chris Wilder between February and May 2024 to go 14 games without a win in the division - Pereira’s 13-game winless streak (D3 L10) in the longest for a Wolves boss since Gary O’Neil (also 13) between May and November 2024.
The Old Gold can at least take some encouragement from their record against Saturday’s opponents Fulham, having won eight of their 18 Premier League meetings (D6 L4), only beating Southampton and Tottenham (nine each) more often in the division.
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Fulham won 2-1 at Molineux in their last league meeting with Wolves – only once in their history have they ever won consecutive games against Wolves, doing so in the second tier in October 1908.
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Wolves have won eight of their 18 Premier League games against Fulham (D6 L4), only beating Tottenham and Southampton (9 each) more often in the competition.
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Fulham have lost each of their last four Premier League matches, with no current side on a longer losing run. The Cottagers haven’t had a longer losing streak within the same season since losing nine in a row between February and April in the 2018-19 campaign.
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Fulham conceded a 90th minute winning goal in their 2-1 loss to Newcastle United, their third of 2025. Overall, the Cottagers have conceded 23 winners in the 90th minute of Premier League matches, with only Spurs (27) and Aston Villa (26) ever conceding more.
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Fulham haven’t won any of their last five home Premier League matches against sides starting the day in the relegation zone (D3 L2), with one of those seeing them lose 4-1 to Wolves in November last season.
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Raúl Jiménez is looking for his first Premier League goal against Wolves since leaving them for Fulham in 2023 (3 apps) – indeed, the Mexican never scored in four games against Fulham for Wolves, with his seven games without scoring in this fixture his joint second most in any fixture, behind eight games in Man Utd vs Wolves.
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Wolverhampton Wanderers are the only side yet to win in the Premier League this season (D2 L7). Wolves failed to win their opening 10 games last season (D3 L7) and no side in top-flight history have started consecutive seasons with 10 winless matches.
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Wolves are looking to avoid going 14 consecutive league matches without a win for the first time since a run of 15 winless between February and August 2012.
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Wolves manager Vitor Pereira has gone 13 Premier League matches without a victory (D3 L10), the longest run by a manager since Gary O’Neil went 13 without a win also at Wolves between May and November 2024. Chris Wilder was the last manager to go 14 games winless, doing so between February and May 2024 with Sheffield United.
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Jørgen Strand Larsen has scored in 13 Premier League matches for Wolves but he’s ended on the losing side in six of those (46%) – among players to score in at least 13 games in Premier League history, only Hal Robson-Kanu (54%, 7/13), Danny Dichio (53%, 9/17) and Heidar Helguson (50%, 13/26) have lost a higher percentage.
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Source Oliver Thomas at SportsMole/BBCSports