Fulhamvs.Bournemouth

Fulham are currently eighth in the Premier League table, just five points behind fourth-placed Arsenal, while Bournemouth occupy sixth spot, with the Cherries picking up 29 points from their opening 18 matches of the campaign.

Match preview

Fulham came from behind to record a huge victory over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Boxing Day, with Harry Wilson levelling the scores in the 82nd minute before Rodrigo Muniz netted a 95th-minute winner for Marco Silva's side.

The capital outfit are now unbeaten in their last six Premier League matches, while they have only lost once once in England's top flight since the middle of October, with their excellent form leaving them ion eighth spot in the table.

Fulham are just five points behind fourth-placed Arsenal at the time of writing, boasting a record of seven wins, seven draws and four defeats from 18 matches, while they have found the back of the net on 26 occasions.

Silva's team have picked up 15 points from their nine home league games this term, suffering only two defeats in the process, while their recent unbeaten run includes draws against Arsenal and Liverpool.

Fulham have only won one of their last six matches against Bournemouth in all competitions, though, which proved to be a 3-1 success when the two teams last locked horns at Craven Cottage in February 2024.

Bournemouth, meanwhile, will enter the match off the back of a 0-0 draw with Crystal Palace, with the Cherries failing to build on their 3-0 success over Manchester United at Old Trafford on December 22.

Andoni Iraola's side will bring a six-game unbeaten run in the Premier League into this match, which includes four wins, and they are currently up in sixth spot in the table, boasting 29 points from 18 matches.

The Cherries are only four points behind fourth-placed Arsenal and very much in the mix for a top-four spot at this stage of proceedings, with head coach Iraola deserving huge credit for his work at the Vitality Stadium.

Bournemouth have been impressive on their travels this term, picking up 14 points from nine matches, recording four wins in the process, and they will be looking to put down a marker with a victory over a strong Fulham outfit this weekend.

The Cherries were last victorious at Craven Cottage back in October 2018, recording a 3-0 victory in the Premier League, while they lead the overall head-to-head record between the two teams, boasting 15 wins to Fulham's 12.

Fulham Premier League form:

D

W

D

D

D

W

Bournemouth Premier League form:

W

W

W

D

W

D

Team News

Fulham will again be without the services of Kenny Tete, Reiss Nelson and Harrison Reed through injury, while Emile Smith Rowe is a major doubt due to the issue which has ruled him out of the team's last two matches.

Sander Berge also faces an uphill task to overcome an ankle issue in time, so it could be the same squad that was available for selection against Chelsea.

Wilson and Muniz both came off the bench to score against Chelsea, but the pair are likely to again be among the substitutes on Sunday, with Raul Jimenez and Adama Traore set to retain their spots in the XI.

As for Bournemouth, Marcos Senesi, Julian Araujo, Alex Scott, Luis Sinisterra, Marcus Tavernier and Adam Smith remain on the sidelines, while Justin Kluivert is suspended due to the milestone yellow card that he picked up against Palace.

Philip Billing could be the player to benefit from Kluivert's absence, while there may be another change in the final third of the field, with Evanilson pushing to return.

There are unlikely to be any further changes from the goalless draw against Palace, though, with Max Aarons in line for another start at right-back, while Lewis Cook and Ryan Christie are set to continue in central midfield.

Fulham possible starting lineup:

Leno; Castagne, Diop, Andersen, Bassey; Traore, Pereira, Lukic, Iwobi, Robinson; Jimenez

Bournemouth possible starting lineup:

Kepa; Aarons, Zabarnyi, Huijsen, Kerkez; Christie, Cook; Semenyo, Billing, Ouattara; Evanilson

We say: Fulham 1-1 Bournemouth

This is a really tough match to call, with both sides enjoying excellent campaigns; it would not be a shock to see a victory either way, but we just have a feeling that a tight game will end with the points being shared.

Three of the last six league games between the two sides have ended in a draw, and we are predicting another stalemate here.

Written by

Matt Law

Previews by email