Match Preview
Newcastle United vrs Fulham
Premier League Match Day 17 23_24 at Craven Cottage
Saturday 16th December 2023, KO: 15:00
Samuel Barrott (West Riding)
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Fulham make the visit to St James' Park in Premier League action on Saturday against Newcastle United who are licking their wounds from a heartbreaking European exit
The Cottagers demolished London rivals West Ham United 5-0 in their last top-flight affair while The Magpies' continental adventure came to an end with a 2-1 loss to AC Milan in midweek.
Facing a Fulham side with a newfound taste for goals may not be the perfect tonic to a gut-wrenching European elimination.
Only four days after putting on a five-star display against Nottingham Forest, Fulham incredibly subjected near neighbours West Ham to the same treatment at Craven Cottage, as Marco Silva's side claimed their third win from four matches in merciless fashion.
Raul Jimenez, Willian, Tosin Adarabioyo, Harry Wilson and Carlos Vinicius all found a way through the battered and bruised Hammers backline as a clinical Fulham made it back-to-back 5-0 victories in the top flight, having belatedly discovered the recipe for attacking success in the post-Aleksandar Mitrovic era.
Sauntering away from the basement stragglers and inching closer to the continental contenders, Fulham lie smack-bang in the middle of the rankings in 10th place in the Premier League table and are one of three teams without a positive or negative goal difference, having both scored and shipped 26 strikes thus far.
After netting a mere 10 goals in their opening 12 fixtures of the Premier League season, the ruthless Cottagers have struck 16 times in their last four matches and could now become only the third team to score at least five goals in three successive Premier League games - Chelsea and Manchester City did so in 2010 and 2017 respectively.
However, Silva's side have not found the formula for results on the road and are winless in seven successive Premier League away matches ahead of their showdown with Newcastle, who have won their last three games against Fulham and have not lost to the Cottagers in the top flight since March 2014.
As Borussia Dortmund rode off into the 'group of death' sunset, all of Paris Saint-Germain, AC Milan and Newcastle were vying for a coveted place in the last 16 of the Champions League on Wednesday evening, where the fate of Eddie Howe's side was out of their own hands.
With PSG only managing a point away to Dortmund, Newcastle would have printed out their boarding passes to the knockout stages had they clung onto their lead against Milan - which came via the boot of Joelinton - but Christian Pulisic and Samuel Chukwueze crushed the hosts' European dreams.
By going down to the Italian giants, Newcastle also missed out on the Europa League consolation prize and now only have domestic matters to attend to between now and the end of the season, which some Magpies fans may argue is a blessing in disguise given their terrible luck with injuries in 2023-24.
Defeat to Milan marked a third successive loss in all tournaments for Howe's decimated outfit, who have been beaten by Everton and Tottenham Hotspur by an aggregate score of 7-1 in their last two Premier League fixtures, leaving them seventh in the table and only above Brighton & Hove Albion on goal difference.
Last weekend's 4-1 dismantling at the hands of Tottenham was Newcastle's sixth Premier League defeat of the 2023-24 campaign already - Howe's men only lost five top-flight games all season in 2022-23. -
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Fulham are winless in seven Premier League away games against Newcastle since beating them 1-0 in May 2009 (D3, L4).
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Newcastle are aiming for a fourth consecutive win over Fulham.
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Fulham are aiming to win three consecutive league games for the first time this season.
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Marco Silva's side have scored 10 goals without conceding in their past two fixtures, both at home.
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They could set a club top-flight record of scoring at least three goals in five consecutive matches.
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Fulham are winless in their past seven away league games and are in danger of losing three in a row for the first time since 2019.
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Marco Silva, in his 150th Premier League match as a manager, could earn a top-flight win over Eddie Howe with a fourth different club, having already beaten him while in charge of Hull City, Watford and Everton.
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Raul Jimenez has scored three goals in his last two Premier League games, as many as he had in his previous 43.
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Willian has scored three goals and provided an assist in his last four league appearances.
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Newcastle are in danger of losing three league matches in a row for the second time this season.
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However, the Magpies have won their past six home league games, conceding just one goal. It's their longest top-flight winning run at St James' Park since 2002-03.
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Eddie Howe's side have suffered six league defeats this season, already more than in the whole of 2022-23.
Newcastle's next Premier League defeat will be their 400th.
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Callum Wilson, who has scored 19 Premier League goals in 2023, could become the third player to score at least 20 for Newcastle in a calendar year.
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Wilson has scored 13 goals in his last 13 top-flight starts.
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Source Ben Knapton at SportsMole/BBC Sports