Match Preview
Fulham v Wolverhampton Wanderers
Premiership Match Day 12 24/25 at Craven Cottage
Saturday 23rd November 2024 KO: 15:00
Referee:
Robert Jones (Wirral)
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Fulham welcome Wolverhampton Wanderers to Craven Cottage on Saturday afternoon with both teams looking to build on wins last time out.
Fulham are bidding to win three Premier League games on the bounce for the first time since January 2023 after beating Brentford and Crystal Palace in their last two matches prior to the international break.
A dramatic 2-1 comeback victory at home to Brentford, courtesy of two stoppage-time goals from supersub Harry Wilson, was followed by a 2-0 win away against 10-man Palace a fortnight ago, thanks to goals from Emile Smith Rowe and Wilson.
Marco Silva's men have accumulated 18 points from their opening 11 Premier League matches and sit seventh in the table, just one point behind each of the next four teams above them, meaning they could finish the weekend inside the top four if they beat Wolves and other results go their way.
After losing four and drawing one of their final five home league games of last season, Fulham have since made a positive start to the new campaign in front of their own fans, having picked up 10 points from their opening five matches at Craven Cottage (W3 D1 L1).
The Cottagers, who have not won back-to-back home games since March, secured a 3-2 home victory over Wolves last season, but that represents their only triumph across their last eight Premier League meetings with the West Midlands outfit.
Wolverhampton Wanderers will be looking to climb out of the Premier League relegation zone when they travel to Fulham
The two teams meet for the first time since March when Gary O'Neil's side secured a 2-1 top-flight victory at Molineux. After failing to win any of their first 10 Premier League games of the season, Wolves entered the international break on a much-needed high after beating fellow strugglers Southampton 2-0 at Molineux.
Pablo Sarabia's opener after just one minute and 48 seconds, Wolves' fastest-ever Premier League goal, was followed by a 51st-minute strike from in-form attacker Matheus Cunha that secured the Old Gold their first top-flight win since April.
Gary O'Neil was pleased with his side's "gritty performance" against an "awkward" Saints outfit, with victory helping Wolves climb off the foot of the table - albeit up just one place to 19th - and to within two points of 17th-placed Ipswich Town, who are hovering just above the relegation zone.
After a challenging fixture schedule at the start of this campaign, Wolves will face just two of last season's top eight across their next nine Premier League fixtures and will be hoping to put together a positive run of form in the coming weeks as they endeavour to boost their survival hopes.
However, Wolves head into Saturday's clash with Fulham having won just one of their of their last eight Premier League visits to Cravan Cottage (D4 L3), while they have lost seven of their last 10 top-flight away matches in London, including both this season, with those 10 matches averaging 4.5 goals per game.
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Fulham have won just one of their last eight Premier League games against Wolves (D3 L4), though it was in this exact fixture last season (3-2).
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Wolves have won just one of their eight Premier League away games against Fulham (D4 L3), beating them 1-0 in April 2021.
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Only Manchester City (7) and Nottingham Forest (5) have scored more goals from outside the penalty area in the Premier League this season than Wolves (3), while Fulham have conceded more goals from outside the penalty area than any other side in the division in 2024-25 (5).
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Fulham are aiming to win three successive Premier League games for the first time since January 2023 (run of four), the only previous time they’ve done so since returning to the top-flight in 2022-23.
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Only Tottenham (32) have recorded more direct attacks in the Premier League this season than Fulham (31), who scored from such an attack last time out against Crystal Palace.
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All six of Raul Jimenez’s goal involvements in the Premier League this season (4 goals, 2 assists) have put Fulham one goal ahead, the highest 100% rate in the competition so far this term.
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Only Dejan Kulusevski (25), Cole Palmer (25), and Bernardo Silva (23) have created more chances from open play in the Premier League this season than Fulham’s Alex Iwobi (22), with his expected assists total from open play of 2.9 the second-highest behind James Maddison (3.2).
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Wolves haven’t won successive Premier League matches since February last season, while on the road they’re winless in their last 11 league matches (D4 L7), conceding 28 goals in that time.
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Wolves have lost seven of their last 10 Premier League matches in London (W3), including both games this season, with those 10 matches averaging 4.5 goals per game (18 for Wolves, 27 against).
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Since the start of last season, only three players have been involved in a higher proportion of their side’s goals in the Premier League than Wolves’ Matheus Cunha (39% - 17 goals, 9 assists), while the Brazilian has netted in each of his last three away league games.
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Source Oliver Thomas at SportsMole/BBC Sports