Match Preview
Fulham vrs Aston Villa
Premier League Match Day 11 22_23 at Craven Cottage
Thursday 20th October 2022, KO: 19:30
Referee:
Michael Oliver (Northumberland)
|
Oliver Thomas
Fulham and Aston Villa will both be looking to avoid a fourth successive Premier League game without a win when they face off at Craven Cottage on Thursday night.
While the hosts have picked up eight points from five home matches so far this season, the visitors are winless from as many games on the road, accumulating only two points.
After losing three of their last four top-flight matches, conceding 11 goals in the process, Fulham came from behind twice to rescue a point in a 2-2 draw with Bournemouth last weekend.
Issa Diop scored his first goal for the club to cancel out an early opener from Dominic Solanke, before Jefferson Lerma put the Cherries back in front just before the half-hour mark. However, star striker Aleksandar Mitrovic converted from the penalty spot seven minutes after half time to force both sides to share the spoils.
Marco Silva's men have won only one of their last five league matches and have subsequently slipped out of the top half of the table and down to 11th place, but a victory over Aston Villa on Thursday could see them climb up to as high as sixth.
Fulham's run of three fixtures against Villa, Leeds United and Everton – who are all positioned below them in the table – will be viewed as an ideal opportunity to build momentum and pick up valuable points before successive games against Manchester City and Manchester United in November.
Scoring goals on home soil has not been an issue for Silva's side, as they have already netted 10 times in five games at Craven Cottage so far this season, one more than they managed in their previous top-flight campaign in 2020-21.
However, the Cottagers were unable to find the net in their last home meeting against Villa, losing 3-0 in September 2020, and they will be aware of the threat that the visitors could pose on Thursday.
Steven Gerrard is the latest Premier League manager who is believed to be on the cusp of losing his job, but despite reports claiming that Aston Villa have decided to sack the 42-year-old, the West Midlands club are set to keep their current boss in charge for the time being.
Villa, who suffered a 2-0 home defeat to Chelsea last time out, have won only two of their opening 10 league games this season and they are languishing in 16th place in the table, just one point above the relegation zone.
Gerrard is sure to be judged on upcoming games against Fulham, Brentford and Newcastle United, and if they fail to claim valuable points from this run, then that could put the final nail in the coffin for the former Liverpool midfielder.
Villa's lack of a cutting edge in the final third has been a major factor behind their dip in form; only goal-shy Wolverhampton Wanderers (3.5%) have a lower shot conversion rate in the Premier League this season than Aston Villa (6%), who have scored just seven goals from 116 attempts.
However, Villa came out on top in both home and away fixtures against Fulham two seasons ago, winning by an aggregate score of 6-1, and they will be hoping for more joy in the capital on Thursday against the Cottagers, who have conceded in nine of their 10 league fixtures so far this term.
-
Fulham lost 3-0 in their last home league game against Aston Villa in September 2020 –
they’ve never lost consecutive home league games against the Villans before.
-
Aston Villa won home and away Premier League games against Fulham the last time the sides met in 2020-21 – they last won three in a row against the Cottagers in October 2004.
-
A Fulham win would give them 11 points from their six home league fixtures this season, one more than they managed in the entirety of their most recent Premier League campaign in 2020-21.
-
In Saturday's 2-2 draw with Bournemouth, Fulham ended a run of 18 consecutive Premier League home defeats when conceding the first goal.
-
They have gone eight top-flight matches without a clean sheet, conceding 18 goals, since a 0-0 draw with Wolves.
-
Their only two midweek Premier League victories in the past 17 attempts both came against Brighton at Craven Cottage.
-
Bernd Leno is one short of 400 career league appearances.
-
Nine points from 10 games represents Villa's worst start to a Premier League season other than in 2015-2016, when they were relegated.
-
They have won just two of their past 18 games against current Premier League opposition.
Aston Villa have won only four times in 21 league fixtures, losing 11.
-
Villa have not had a winless away run of more than five games from the beginning of a Premier League season since 2011-12.
-
Their only win in the past 16 league games against London opposition was 2-1 at Crystal Palace last November.
-
Only Wolves have scored fewer Premier League goals than the seven by Villa this season.
Aston Villa's last nine league goals were scored by nine different players.
-
Philippe Coutinho has scored one goal and provided no assists in his past 21 league appearances.
-
Since the start of 2019-20, no outfield player has made more errors leading to goals in the Premier League than the five by Villa's Tyrone Mings.
-
Steven Gerrard lost only one of his 16 appearances as a Liverpool player against Fulham in all competitions, winning 12.
`
`