Fulham and Bournemouth set for blockbuster clash as Parker makes first return

It has all the potential to be an instant second tier classic.

Friday night's meeting between Fulham and Bournemouth has plotlines and match-ups aplenty and has all the ingredients of a Championship dust-up to remember.

It's not only first against second but it is arguably the two strongest squads in the division going head-to-head.

For a start, two of the Championship's top three goalscorers will be on display with Aleksandar Mitrovic and Dominic Solanke having netted 36 times between them so far.

The gap between the two teams might only be a solitary point, in favour of Fulham, but there is clear distance emerging between the pair and the rest of the division.

Bournemouth are seven ahead of the team in third - QPR.

Who will win the Championship this year - One of these two sides or someone else? Let us know in the comments section

Add in the fact that these two are the heaviest scorers in the division with a combined 85 goals and have the joint-meanest defences, along with West Brom (just 16 shipped each) and you can understand why many are seeing this as a dress rehearsal to see who is more likely to be lifting the Championship title come May.

And all that is before we've even mentioned the fascinating sub-plot in the dugout. This game will be the first time that Cherries' boss Scott Parker has faced his old club since his shock departure in the summer.

Many questioned the decision at the time but Parker has more than justified the switch. And it's not gone too bad for his old club either.

Speaking about his decision during his Cherries' unveiling in July, Parker said: "I had a fantastic time at Fulham, I'm very, very proud to lead the club, I have nothing but admiration.

"What I can say is every single day I went into that football club as a player or as a coach, I literally gave every bit of me to the club to try and be successful.

"I'd like to think I did that really. I know I leave the football club in a good place.

"I understand that people may point the finger and say 'you got relegated last year', but, like I keep saying, there's something bigger and there's something deeper than just winning a league or a relegation really."

Bournemouth are in their second season in the Championship whilst for Fulham the pain of relegation is more raw.

They turned to Marco Silva as Parker's replacement and despite having plenty of experience of English football with Hull City, Watford and Everton the Portuguese was a novice when it came to the second tier.

But he has quickly found his footing. Of course, it helps having an expensively-assembled squad and a human cheat code in Mitrovic to boot, but it still requires canny management and a stamina over the course of a long season.

As for Parker, his side were the last in the EFL to taste defeat and he admits they have dropped beneath the exceptionally high standards they set in the first third of the season - they've taken just five points from the past five games.

But his side will be eager to get back into top form at Craven Cottage in a game that will be watched on with plenty of interest from elsewhere.

As for what reception he will get, you would hope his six years' service (four as a player, two as a manager) will be recognised.

He added: "I couldn't tell you what reception I would get, but what I do know is that I'm immensely proud of being manager there and what I did there."