Match Preview
Fulham v Nottingham Forest
Premier League Match Day 15 23/24 at Craven Cottage
Wednesday 6th December 2023 KO: 19:30
Josh Smith (Cambridgeshire)
Live on Amazon Prime Video
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Fulham meet Nottingham Forest in Wednesday's Premier League clash at Craven Cottage.
Marco Silva's side came away empty-handed from their clash with Liverpool, which ended in a 4-3 win for the Reds, while Steve Cooper's team were put to the sword 1-0 by Everton.
Marco Silva's face said it all during Fulham's seven-goal extravaganza with Liverpool on Sunday afternoon, where the Cottagers came from behind twice in the first half to enter the tunnel on level terms thanks to Harry Wilson's strike and a Kenny Tete toe-poke in added time.
Fulham were on the cusp of ending the Reds' perfect Anfield sequence when Bobby Decordova-Reid towered over Kostas Tsimikas and headed home in the 80th minute, but Wataru Endo and Trent Alexander-Arnold proceeded to break Cottagers' hearts, the latter striking a stunning winner in the 87th minute.
Fans of Wolverhampton Wanderers may feel that Fulham got their just desserts on Merseyside, having fallen victim to late controversy in the Cottagers' 3-2 victory six days prior to Fulham's Anfield defeat, which leaves Silva's men 14th in the Premier League table after 14 games.
The Cottagers still possess a healthy eight-point cushion over the relegation places, but a prolonged run of dissatisfactory defensive performances could drag them closer to danger; Silva's side have now shipped nine goals in their last three games and are without a clean sheet in 10 matches in all tournaments.
With three triumphs and three defeats at Craven Cottage in the 2023-24 Premier League season, Fulham have followed a win-loss pattern at home this term; not a good omen for the Cottagers faithful, and nor is their side's record of failing to win their last 11 top-flight games played on a Wednesday.
Only one place and two points separates Fulham from their upcoming opponents in the Premier League table, leaving the Cottagers at risk of being leapfrogged by Nottingham Forest should their inconsistent home pattern continue, but the Tricky Trees have not proven a tricky test for most of their rivals so far this term.
Seeking to bounce back from successive 3-2 beatings at the hands of West Ham United and Brighton & Hove Albion, Forest were quelled by a sturdy Everton rearguard at the weekend and succumbed to a stunning Dwight McNeil strike in a 1-0 loss at the City Ground, where boos reverberated around the stadium at the full-time whistle.
Cooper should not be in any d
anger of being given the boot for the moment, but the 43-year-old is feeling the heat as the winter chill arrives, with his side only six points clear of the drop zone in 15th spot having now fallen to three straight defeats in the top division.
November's surprise 2-0 beating of Champions League-chasing Aston Vila feels like an age ago for Forest, who have only taken one point from their last four Premier League fixtures on the road, failing to make the net ripple in three of those contests.
Both Fulham and Forest have displayed an affinity for 3-2 scorelines in recent weeks, and the Cottagers' trip to the City Ground coincidentally ended with Silva's side prevailing by that margin, before February's clash in the capital saw Willian and Manor Solomon guide the hosts to a routine 2-0 victory.
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Fulham did the double last season against Forest, whose solitary top-flight away victory in this fixture was by 3-2 in May 1967 (D3, L6).
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Nottingham Forest have lost seven of the past nine league meetings, with their two wins during that period both coming at Craven Cottage in the Championship in 2019 and 2022.
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Fulham have won all three league matches this season against teams currently below them in the table. They are one place above Nottingham Forest.
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The Cottagers have alternated between defeat and victory in their six Premier League home fixtures this campaign, winning last time out versus Wolves.
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They are winless in 11 Premier League games played on a Wednesday since beating West Ham at Craven Cottage on New Year's Day 2014 (D6, L5).
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Fulham can score at least three goals in three successive top-flight matches for the first time since March 1966.
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Willian is one short of becoming the first Brazilian to make 300 Premier League appearances.
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Raul Jimenez hasn't scored at home since converting a penalty for Wolves against Gillingham in the League Cup fourth round on 20 December last year.
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Forest's current three-match Premier League losing streak is the longest in the division.
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Their solitary victory in the past 10 league games was 2-0 at home to Aston Villa a month ago (D4, L5).
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Nottingham Forest have only two won of their 26 Premier League away fixtures since promotion (D6, L18).
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They are winless in 10 Premier League matches without Taiwo Awoniyi since beating Leeds at home 10 months ago (D4, L6).
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All four of Chris Wood's league goals for Forest have been scored at the City Ground.
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Source Ben Knapton at SportsMole/BBCSports