Match Preview
Fulham vrs Bournemouth
Premiership Match Day 36 25/26 at Craven Cottage
Saturday 9th May 2026 KO: 15:00
Referee:
Andy Madley (West Yorkshire)
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European-chasing Fulham and Bournemouth do battle at Craven Cottage on Saturday afternoon.
The illness-hit Cottagers were comprehensively beaten by Arsenal last time out, while the Cherries capitalised on Crystal Palace's continental fatigue in a 3-0 victory over the Eagles.
Fulham's gritty victory over Aston Villa and Arsenal's taxing away day at Atletico Madrid gave rise to a competitive London derby between the two clubs at the Emirates Stadium last week, but the first 45 minutes was the furthest thing from a contest.
Hampered by a sickness bug that swept its way through the training ground before the game, the Cottagers succumbed to two Viktor Gyokeres goals either side of a Bukayo Saka strike, in what was their joint-heaviest defeat of the Premier League season.
A scoreless second half was little consolation for Marco Silva, whose uncertain contract situation is also not helping matters at Craven Cottage, where he could very well be taking charge of his penultimate home game for Fulham this weekend.
The Portuguese's team remain just three points below the top seven in the Premier League table, though, and the hosts have an applaudable home record to fall back on, winning 10 of their 17 top-flight games at Craven Cottage this term.
Only Arsenal (14), Manchester United, Manchester City (12) and Aston Villa (11) have picked up more Premier League home victories than the Cottagers in 2025-26, and only twice have Silva's side been shut out on their own turf - against the Gunners and West Ham United.
As Fulham go in search of a 15th Premier League victory of the season, visiting Bournemouth endeavour to extend a tremendous 15-match unbeaten run - the longest of its kind in the division right now.
The departing Andoni Iraola has overseen seven victories and eight draws during that scarcely believable sequence, the most recent triumph coming in convincing circumstances against Palace, as Eli Junior Kroupi and Rayan struck after a Jefferson Lerma own goal.
While Arsenal benefitted from Fulham's unsuccessful attempt at infection control, Bournemouth took advantage of Palace having an empty tank - in the words of Oliver Glasner - to keep their Champions League hopes alive; the sixth-placed Cherries sit six points adrift of the top five.
Iraola's attackers have also rediscovered their best selves at the best time, as after Bournemouth scored just one goal in four games between February 21 and March 14, they have since netted at least twice in each of their last five.
The South Coast side also strolled to a 3-1 home win over Fulham in October, and are aiming to do the Premier League double over the Cottagers for the first time; last year's Craven Cottage contest ended in a 2-2 stalemate.
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Fulham have won just two of their nine Premier League meetings with Bournemouth (D2 L5) – 1-0 away in April 2019 and 3-1 at home in February 2024.
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Bournemouth have won their last two Premier League games against Fulham. They’re looking to complete the double over them for the first time in the competition, last doing so in any division in 2014-15 (Championship).
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Fulham have failed to score in five of their last seven Premier League games, though did win both in which they found the net in this run (D2 L3). The Cottagers had only failed to score in five of their first 28 league games this term.
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Following victories against Burnley and Aston Villa, Fulham are looking to win three consecutive home league games for the first time since December 2023.
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Fulham’s Raúl Jiménez has scored five goals in his six Premier League starts against Bournemouth. Only against West Ham (7) and Everton (6) has the Mexican netted more in the competition.
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Fulham’s Bernd Leno has played in each of his side’s last 147 Premier League games. There are only seven occasions of a player featuring in more consecutive matches in the competition, with Leno’s run the longest since Kasper Schmeichel’s 149 between August 2018 and May 2022.
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Bournemouth are unbeaten in their last 15 Premier League games, both their longest run and the longest current run of any side in the competition (W7 D8). The only team to have a longer run with all of their games coming while sitting outside the top five in the table are Manchester United between October 2016 and March 2017 (18).
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Bournemouth conceded 27 goals in their first nine Premier League away games this season (3 per game), shipping at least three goals on seven occasions. They’ve now conceded just six times in their last eight on the road (0.8 per game), and never more than twice in a match.
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Only the current top two sides Arsenal (5) and Man City (5) have lost fewer Premier League games than Bournemouth this season (7). The Cherries have drawn a league-high 16 games this term, which is also their most draws in any league campaign since 2005-06 (19 in League One).
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19-year-old Junior Kroupi has scored 12 Premier League goals for Bournemouth this season. There are just five occasions of a teenager netting more in a single campaign – Robbie Fowler in 1994-95 (23), Michael Owen in both 1997-98 and 1998-99 (18), Nicolas Anelka in 1998-99 (13) and Romelu Lukaku in 2012-13 (14).
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Source Ben Knapton at SportsMole/BBCSports