Team News
Fulham vrs Birmingham City
Championship Match Day 21 1718 Craven Cottage
Saturday 9th December 2017 KO: 15:00pm
Referee:
Tony Harrington (Cleveland)
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Fulham defender Denis Odoi is suspended for the visit of Birmingham.
The Belgian serves a one-match ban after he was sent off for two bookings in the defeat at Brentford last weekend.
Tim Ream could step in if he can shake off the knock which kept him out against the Bees.
Speaking on injuries, Fulham coach Jokanovic said: "Lucas Piazon and Floyd Ayite are outside of the squad and Denis Odoi is suspended, that is it.
"We expect Piazon will be back working with the team after the Sunderland game.
"Piazon needs to start training with us, at the moment he's working separately with the medical department and physios.
"He's working hard and always shows great spirit, great desire to work and in this case to come back and at the end when we start working with him we must check and see how much time he will need to be available to help us in the pitch.
"I expect he will have opportunity to fight to be in the team who will compete."
Outside the top flight, Fulham have not beaten Birmingham in any of their last 11 home league meetings.
Fulham have not kept back-to-back home league clean sheets within the same season since October 2014.
Fulham's Tom Cairney, whose 10 assists last season were bettered in the Championship only by Conor Hourihane's 14 for Barnsley, is yet to assist a goal in 11 matches this season.
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Birmingham boss Steve Cotterill has admitted he may have to turn to his under-23s amid a growing injury crisis.
Cotterill declined to identify a series of players nursing knocks, but already has several men unavailable to him.
Defender Harlee Dean is suspended following his sending-off in Monday night's 1-0 defeat by Wolves, a game goalkeeper Tomasz Kuszczak missed with a groin problem.
David Davis (knee) is back in training and will be assessed, but the game is likely to come too early for Jason Lowe (hamstring) and Craig Gardner (calf), while Maxime Colin (hamstring) and Isaac Vassell are still out.
Birmingham City's goal tally of just 10 in 20 league games is the lowest in the entire FL. It is also the worst in the EFL by a Championship side since Doncaster Rovers in 2008-09, who scored just nine times before improving to finished that season in 14th.
Birmingham won both Championship matches against the Whites 1-0 last season, their first league double over the west London side since the 1991-92 season.
Birmingham have collected just two points from their opening 10 away league games. That is also the worst record in the EFL and the club's own worst since 1978-79.
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Source ESPN/Ryan O'Donovan at GetWestLondon