Match Preview
Fulham v Newcastle United
Premiership Match Day 38 25/26 at Craven Cottage
Sunday 24th May 2026 KO: 16.00
Referee:
Robert Jones (Wirral)
Live on Sky Sports+
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Fulham and Newcastle United, both with 49 pointers, lock horns at Craven Cottage on Sunday afternoon simply scrapping for a top-half finish on the final day of the Premier League season.
While both sides are only three points off eighth-placed Chelsea, the Blues face 10th-placed Sunderland on the final day, meaning that the Cottagers and the Magpies' European chances have already gone up in smoke.
A name that has perhaps flown under the radar during the chaotic managerial merry-go-round, Marco Silva is expected to take charge of his final Fulham match in Premier League gameweek 38 - if reports are to be believed.
The Portuguese has continuously swerved questions about his future as his contract winds down, but he has reportedly agreed to take over from Jose Mourinho at Benfica, thus ending a five-year and 229-match stint at Craven Cottage.
Silva has been unable to fulfil Fulham's European ambitions during his time in the capital, thanks partly to an underwhelming end to the 2025-26 Premier League season, in which the Cottagers have won just one of their last six games and have taken one point from the last nine on offer.
The Cottagers' attacking deficiencies were on full display once again in their 1-1 draw with Wolverhampton Wanderers, where Antonee Robinson's penalty marked just their second goal from their last six matches and left Fulham 13th in the Premier League table, two points off the top half.
Home has been where the heart is for Silva in 2025-26, though, as 10 of Fulham's 14 Premier League wins this season have been achieved at Craven Cottage; only Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United and Aston Villa have prevailed more times in front of their own fans.
Boasting an identical record to that of their hosts - 14 wins, seven draws and an unsightly 16 defeats in Premier League matches this season - Newcastle sit two places better off by virtue of their superior goal difference.
However, Europe is also no longer a possibility for Eddie Howe's men, despite their best efforts during an end-of-season revival, which has seen them take seven points from their last three games after a four-match losing sequence.
The Magpies all but condemned West Ham United to their Championship fate in last weekend's 3-1 victory over the Irons, although Taty Castellanos's astonishing consolation means that Howe's side have failed to keep a clean sheet in their last eight games.
Furthermore, only four of Newcastle's 18 Premier League away matches this season have seen the Magpies emerge victorious, although their two such triumphs in 2026 came against London clubs in Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea.
Howe also masterminded 2-1 wins over Fulham in the league and EFL Cup earlier this season - two of Newcastle's eight victories from their last 10 matches with the home side - but this exact battle in 2024 ended in a 3-1 success for Benfica-bound Silva.
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Fulham have lost six of their last eight Premier League games against Newcastle, with both exceptions coming last season (W2).
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None of Newcastle’s 17 Premier League away games against Fulham have finished level (W7 L10). No specific fixture has been played more often in the competition without ever finishing level (Chelsea at home to Sunderland also 17).
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Fulham have won their final league match in just one of the last eight seasons (D1 L6), winning 4-2 at Luton in the Premier League in 2023-24.
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No side has drawn fewer home games than Fulham in the Premier League this season (W10 D2 L6). Their 10 wins at Craven Cottage is their most in a top-flight campaign since 2011-12 (also 10), while they last had more in 2009-10 (11).
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Bernd Leno has started each of Fulham’s last 149 Premier League games. There are just five previous occasions of a player starting 150+ in a row – David James twice (158 between 1994-1998 and 166 between 2004-2008), Pepe Reina (183 between 2007-2012), Tim Howard (210 between 2007-2013) and Brad Friedel (310 between 2004-2012).
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Harry Wilson has more goals (10) and more assists (6) than any other Fulham player in the Premier League this season. Only four players have ever registered more goal involvements in a season for the Cottagers – Clint Dempsey in 2011-12 (23), Louis Saha in 2003-04 (18), Dimitar Berbatov in 2012-13 (18) and Luís Boa Morte in 2004-05 (17).
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Newcastle lost 1-0 at home to Everton on MD38 last season. They’ve not lost their final league game in consecutive seasons since a run of three between 2011-12 and 2013-14.
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When playing their final league match of the season in London, Newcastle are unbeaten in their last seven games (W6 D1) since a 3-2 loss at Spurs in 1972-73. This run includes 4-0 and 2-0 victories at Fulham in 2018-19 and 2020-21 respectively.
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Newcastle have won just two of their eight Premier League away games so far in 2026 (D2 L4), though both of these wins have come against London sides (vs Spurs in February and Chelsea in March).
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Only Bruno Guimarães (9) and Nick Woltemade (8) have scored more Premier League goals for Newcastle this season than William Osula (7), with six of his seven goals coming in his last eight appearances.
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Source Ben Knapton at SportsMole/BBCSports