Fulham

BBC pundit Chris Sutton is making predictions for all 380 Premier League matches again this season, against a variety of guests.

For this weekend's games, he takes on rapper Songer, who is a Chelsea fan.

Sutton's prediction: 1-1

Boubacar Kamara's injury is a serious setback for Aston Villa and, with Fulham usually strong at home, this is a difficult game for Unai Emery's side.

It feels like Villa have to win this, with Tottenham and Manchester United both hitting form in the race for the top four.

But Fulham have started scoring again, with Rodrigo Muniz getting two goals in their win over Bournemouth last week, and I feel like they will get something here as well.

Songer's prediction: 1-2

Villa played well against Manchester United last week, after Chelsea had given them a bit of a beating in the FA Cup a few days earlier. I love Unai Emery and Villa are a class team, so I'm going to back them here.

Read all of Sutton's predictions for this weekend's games

Fulham boss Marco Silva has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League match at home to Aston Villa.

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Silva confirmed Raul Jimenez is "going to be out for the next few weeks" but that "all the other players are going to be available".

• He is happy with his side's recent form: "[The mood] is really positive. We had a busy period in December and January. We are stronger now. When you have more of the squad available, it's good for competition."

• Silva said he is "really pleased" for striker Rodrigo Muniz who he says put in his "best performance in a Fulham shirt" during last weekend's win over Bournemouth: "When you have the chance, you have to pop up and take that chance and Rodrigo did."

• On the returning Alex Iwobi who played for losing Africa Cup of Nations finalists Nigeria: "He's very good mentally. Alex is a happy boy when he's on the pitch doing what he loves. If you lose a game, you lose a game together. They [Nigeria] did brilliantly until the final."

• He is pleased with the club's record at home: "People know what they're going to face when they come to Craven Cottage. The fans play a big part and we hope that, together, we can keep the same form at home."

• Silva is confident his team will apply themselves well against Villa: "We are going to be a really demanding team for them. I really believe that, and of course some of our players are in a really good individual moment too."

Follow the rest of Friday's Premier League news conferences

The key facts and figures before Saturday's game between Fulham and Aston Villa in the Premier League.

• Fulham have won six of their past nine home Premier League matches (D1 L2), scoring three or more goals in five of those wins. Indeed, the Cottagers have won all seven home Premier League games this season when scoring; last season, they scored in 15 home games but only won eight (53%, D4 L3).

• Aston Villa have won their past nine Premier League games against teams from London, beating Fulham twice in that run. In top-flight history, the only team to string together 10 consecutive wins against London sides were Liverpool between March 2019 and June 2020 (a run of 11).

• Since November 27th, only three teams have scored more Premier League goals than Fulham (23). By contrast, no side has failed to score in more games in the division in that time than the Cottagers (5, level with Sheffield United).

• Ollie Watkins has been directly involved in 18 goals in 23 away Premier League appearances for Aston Villa under Unai Emery (11 goals, 7 assists). He has also scored in five of his past six Premier League appearances in London (5 goals).

• Fulham have faced 46 shots in their past two home Premier League games (21 vs Everton, 25 vs Bournemouth), with that making up 33% of the shots they’ve faced on home soil this season (46/141). The last team to face more than 20 shots (21+) in three home games in a row in the Premier League were Norwich City between August 2019 and October 2019 (four in a row).

Image source, Reuters

Fulham midfielder Tom Cairney spoke to the Footballer's Football Podcast about what he would consider to be success for the club this season:

"This is the second season out of the Championship, so we can't get carried away. I remember last season when we were seventh or sixth and people were talking about Europe and we were saying to slow down. This league can bite you if you get ahead of yourselves.

"If we get anywhere near the points tally of last season, which was Fulham's second-best ever season in the Premier League, then it will always be a successful season.

"I've always said staying in the Premier League is the biggest thing. We can't get ahead of ourselves because we lost our top scorer [Aleksandar Mitrovic] and you can't look past that really. Staying in the league, getting as close to last season's tally and take it from there. When I say staying in the Premier League, I don't mean on the last day of the season, I mean just being an established Premier League team.

"You have to look at examples like Brighton, we played them in the Championship in 2017 and they've not been down since. You would now consider Brighton an established Premier League club and we have to look at examples like that.

"In my lifetime, Fulham have always been a Premier League club; mid-table, nice football, always had top players like Dimitar Berbatov and Louis Saha. I don't mean Europe, I don't think our fans are that crazy and expect us to get in Europe, but I agree that fans always want more and so do we. Sustaining Premier League status is vital."

Listen to the full episode here

Sammy James
Fan writer

Saturday's win over Bournemouth was a huge relief to Fulham fans. While most outside observers already thought we were safe, a lot of us fans were nervously looking over our shoulders.

The next run of games is tough and we were a little close to the bottom three for our liking.

Saturday's hero was Rodrigo Muniz, who has gone from zero to three Premier League goals in just one week.

Muniz is well-liked. While many have questioned his ability, very few have ever questioned his passion and desire to make it at Fulham.

Last season's loan spell at Middlesbrough was a football disaster and the common thought was that if he cannott cut it in the Championship, there is no hope of him breaking through in the top flight.

Scoring a few goals does not constitute "making it" but Muniz has given Marco Silva a real headache. New loan striker Armando Broja is itching to play, and reportedly part of our agreement with Chelsea is that if Broja does not start at least 10 times, we have to pay the full £4m loan fee.

However, Silva is unlikely to drop a free-scoring striker, so Muniz will hope this is a conundrum that does not go away any time soon.

Sammy James can be found at Fulhamish, external

Fulham failed in an attempt to sign Borussia Dortmund striker Sebastien Haller in January with the 29-year-old wanting to concentrate on the Africa Cup of Nations with Ivory Coast and unwilling to move mid-season. (Fabrizio Romano), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Tuesday's full gossip column

We asked you for your thoughts on Saturday's Premier League match between Fulham and Bournemouth.

Here are some of your comments:

Fulham fans

Maz: Finally we have got a result we fully deserved after the last two games where we dominated but only came away with one point from each. It’s nice to see Muniz getting a brace at home and a big shoutout to Tim [Ream] who was so solid in defence. As a team, we were immense. Bring on Villa.

Alex: A much better performance from Fulham and a great response from conceding. Muniz with two good goals, which is great for his confidence. An all-round good game from Fulham.

Luke: Fair play to Bournemouth - they came and attacked but we were far more ruthless. Muniz barely lost anything and Willian was a different class. No Tosin, Bassey or Iwobi either - shame we are too far off seventh to mount a challenge.

Chris: We totally deserved the victory. We’ve been playing well, without reward,.In this one, we got the reward

Bournemouth fans

Charl: Bournemouth look like they have reverted to last season’s debacle. There's no leadership on the field, poor passing, no ideas in front of goal and we are playing the ball backwards instead of building pressure. Tavernier, Christie, Faivre were poor, and why was Scott taken off? Enes Unal looks a great addition. Iraola, sort it out, you’re better than this!

Paul: I don’t really know what to say other than that was abysmal really. There was no cohesion and there were too many mistakes. It makes it worse that it was in front of the worst set of home fans I’ve ever witnessed. They barely sang a song and won 3-1!

Barry: Solanke needs to up his game. He gets lots of opportunities but he doesn't put many away. Look at his stats.

Tom: As ever, inadequate. Sorry, but we have got to win these ‘close’ matches. Five points dropped in the last two games.

Image source, Getty Images

Forward Rodrigo Muniz scored a brace in Fulham's win against Bournemouth, helping the Cottagers to their first Premier League triumph of 2024.

Former Premier League striker Alan Shearer was full of praise for the Brazilian - who has now scored three goals in his last two games - and told Match of the Day: "He really was a handful. Tough to play against, horrible to play against in fact. That's always a good thing for a centre-forward, that's what you have to be.

"He was strong, he ran the channels, he brought players into the game and he really upset the Bournemouth defenders in every way, in everything he was doing. He was willing to run in behind and on one of the occasions he does it, they get their first goal because of it.

"They [Fulham] got balls into the box for him and he was first to react. He understood the situation and got there first. He was barging defenders out of the way and I really enjoyed his performance. That's what you have to do.

"We haven't seen enough of him because he's been out on loan or injured or whatever it is, but he has got a real opportunity to stake a claim and stay in there [in the team].

"He's got to produce that every week now. I mean, they have signed Armando Broja on loan but Muniz has got an opportunity to stay in there if he keeps performing like that."

Watch the full Match of the Day episode on BBC iPlayer

Mark Chapman introduces highlights and analysis from Saturday's seven Premier League matches.

If you missed Match of the Day, you can catch up on the action on BBC iPlayer.

Listen back to BBC Radio 5 Live and 5 Sports Extra match commentaries in full on BBC Sounds:

Liverpool 3-1 Burnley

Nottingham Forest 2-3 Newcastle

Liverpool are monitoring Fulham defender Tosin Adarabioyo, 26, for a potential move this summer. (Mail), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Monday's full gossip column

Image source, Getty Images

Matthew Howarth, BBC Sport

Fulham came into this game still searching for their first league win of 2024, but a fast start coupled with fine displays from Willian and Rodrigo Muniz earned Marco Silva's side a deserved three points.

The Cottagers were given a helping hand by Lewis Cook for Bobby De Cordova-Reid's opener but their passing in the build-up to the goal was crisp and incisive.

It could have been 2-0 inside 10 minutes, but a fabulous Neto save denied Willian after a slick one-two with captain Tom Cairney.

Willian's sublime cross was slotted in by Muniz before half-time, and the two Brazilians combined again moments after Marcos Senesi's strike to restore the hosts' two-goal advantage early in the second half.

Both players were given standing ovations when they left the field as Fulham moved above their opponents with their first top-flight victory since 31 December.

Here are the key facts and figures following Saturday's game between Fulham and Bournemouth in the Premier League.

• Fulham have won five of their past seven home Premier League games (D1 L1), while their seven league wins at Craven Cottage this season is just one fewer than they managed in the entirety of 2022-23 (8).

• Bournemouth are without a win in their past five Premier League games (D2 L3), having won six of their previous seven matches before this run (D1).

• Bobby De Cordova-Reid has scored more Premier League goals against Bournemouth than he has against any other side (3). In addition, he scored and assisted in a single Premier League game for just the second time, with the previous instance coming back in October 2018 for Cardiff v his current club Fulham.

• Dominic Solanke has been directly involved in 48% of Bournemouth’s Premier League goals this season (15 out of 31), the highest share of any player for a side in 2023-24.

• There were just 111 seconds between Marcos Senesi’s strike for Bournemouth to make it 2-1 and Rodrigo Muniz’s second goal of the afternoon to make it 3-1 to Fulham.

Fulham manager Marco Silva speaking to BBC Match of the Day: "It’s a great win for us. A big win and well deserved. Overall we were the better team, over the 90 minutes. The first half was at a very good level.

"In the second half, on the ball they played a little bit better than us. We reacted well to their goal, but their reaction was strong. The last game we conceded two late goals and sometimes the mindset plays a role [in the latter stages of a game].

"In the last game we deserved much more. Today we got what we deserved in the last few games."

On Rodrigo Muniz: "When you play against sides who press really high and go man-on-man almost every time, you need someone [like Muniz]. He did so well.

"It was a very good performance from him. Three goals in two games. It’s always important to help the team get the points. Last season was really tough for him, but he's getting his game time right now and helping the team."

Rodrigo Muniz scored twice as Fulham claimed their first Premier League win of 2024 to move above Bournemouth in the table.

The Cottagers dominated in the early stages and opened the scoring when Bobby de Cordova-Reid capitalised on a Lewis Cook slip and side-footed into the bottom corner.

Neto produced a brilliant one-handed save to deny the lively Willian soon afterwards, but the Cherries goalkeeper was powerless to stop Muniz doubling Fulham's lead from De Cordova-Reid's downward header.

Marcos Senesi's sublime turn and finish halved the deficit early in the second half, only for Fulham to restore their two-goal advantage when Muniz met Willian's far-post delivery two minutes later.

Dominic Solanke wasted the best of several good Bournemouth opportunities before half-time, side-footing over the bar when unmarked before Fulham's second of the game.

Marco Silva's side climb above Bournemouth into 12th, dropping the Cherries to 13th.

Were you at the match or did you follow it from home?

Fulham fans - let us know your thoughts on the game here

How did you rate the side's performance, Bournemouth fans?

Follow all of the reaction here

There are seven games being played in the Premier League on Saturday and we will bring you every moment.

Follow all of the action and reaction here

All times are GMT

Listen to BBC Radio 5 Live match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Liverpool v Burnley

• Nottingham Forest v Newcastle

Chris Sutton is taking on Sexy Beast star Stephen Moyer for the latest round of Premier League predictions.

Sutton's prediction: 2-1

Fulham should have beaten Burnley last week but let a two-goal lead slip late on. Bournemouth also had to settle for a point, and I was a bit surprised that they were held by Nottingham Forest.

This is going to be close but while Fulham have been poor on the road all season, their home form has been decent and I can see that continuing.

I have been impressed by Bournemouth in the past few weeks and it looks like they are going to stay up pretty comfortably, so I don't know why I am going against them - it is just a gut feeling.

Stephen's prediction: 1-2

This is almost like a mid-table six-pointer. These sides are 12th and 13th in the table and both of them have taken five points from their past five league games, so they are in similar form. There is something about Bournemouth, though, that makes me think they are putting something together, so I am going with them here. Dominic Solanke is doing so well and he can help them edge this.

See the full list of predictions

Image source, Getty Images

Fulham boss Marco Silva was full of praise for new loan signing Armando Broja in his pre-match news conference before Bournemouth visit Craven Cottage on Saturday.

Broja joined from Chelsea until the end of the season on transfer deadline day and Silva is confident he will improve the Whites.

"He can add many good things for us, definitely. He's a different profile to what we have in the squad," said Silva.

"He's a more dynamic striker than Raul Jimenez. He will add something different to us. His qualities are his pace, his capacity to attack in behind, he's dynamic in his mobility and can cause problems to the backline.

"We expect very good things from him. He's adapting to our model, very welcome in our football club and is in a happy place. Let's hope we can start to take the best from him and for him to score goals for us. That's going to be very important."

Broja made his first appearance for Fulham from the bench against Burnley last weekend and could be in contention to make his first start on Saturday.

Marissa Thomas, BBC Sport

Marco Silva has been speaking to the media before they face Bournemouth on Saturday.

Here are the main lines from his news conference:

• Silva ruled Raul Jimenez and Kenny Tete out, adding: "Kenny's feeling something in his Achilles, nothing really serious. He can be ready for the next one. Raul will be longer, more than one month for sure."

• Armando Broja is fine "to start or be on the bench" tomorrow after picking up a knock against Burnley.

• On facing Bournemouth: "It's a really difficult challenge. [They are a] very good side. They didn't start well in the Premier League but when they started to get good results that lifted their confidence. [They're a] team that likes to press strong and really high if they can. They have a striker [Dominic Solanke] that can punish teams. They are always a threat. We have to always control the game and express ourselves."

• He was disappointed by Fulham's comprehensive defeat at Vitality Stadium on Boxing Day and intends to put that right: "We want to have a completely different performance. We want to do our maximum to play as best as we can to win the game. We have to play much, much better. It's not about Bournemouth's form, it's much more about ourselves."

• On Alex Iwobi and Calvin Bassey being away with Nigeria who have reached the final of the Africa Cup of Nations: "Mixed feelings. Of course we are happy and pleased for them, important moment for them both and their country. For us, as a club it's not been good. It's been a long time for us without two key players who have been so important since they joined in the summer.

• More on Iwobi: "From the first moment, he has been so crucial for us. I would prefer to have them here with us. At the same time, I am pleased for them because it is important for their country and from a personal point of view."

Follow all of Friday's Premier League news conferences

BBC Sport pundit Michael Brown has been answering your questions on all things Premier League.

Frank asked: Teams like Wolves who play without a number nine are doing very well. Are old fashioned strikers needed anymore? Has the game changed?

Michael replied: The game has changed. I think we've seen a different type of striker.

But look at Liverpool and Arsenal for example, people mention they still need a number nine, so people are saying it, but we're not necessarily seeing those old-fashioned nines.

Manchester City did so well with the false nine, but then Erling Haaland came in and scored 50 goals. They still needed him and they still wanted a number nine, but it depends on your playing style.

Michael Brown was speaking to BBC Sport's Nicola Pearson

Image source, Getty Images

Fulham captain Tom Cairney says team-mate Willian "doesn't get the recognition he deserves" for his quality.

Willian, 35, is enjoying a career renaissance at Fulham after inauspicious seasons at Arsenal and Corinthians followed a successful seven years at fellow West Londoners Chelsea.

The former Brazil international won two Premier Leagues, the FA Cup, the Carabao Cup and the Europa League with the Blues, and was named club player of the year twice.

"What a player," Cairney told the Footballer's Football Podcast. "He's the best player I've played with by a mile.

"His touch, his brain, the way he moves the ball, his decision making.

"I just can't imagine what he was like to play with seven or eight years ago at Chelsea.

"In my opinion he doesn't get the recognition he deserves because (Eden) Hazard was that good in the same team that people don't speak about him in the way that they should.

"Hazard was ridiculous but for four, five years Willian was one of the best players in the Premier League.

"He's 35 now and still when he stops dead and shifts it you can't get near him.

"What a player."

Cairney was a special guest on this week's episode and you can listen to more from him on BBC Sounds

Image source, Getty Images

Fulham captain Tom Cairney stood in for Callum Wilson on the Footballer's Football Podcast this week and reflected on his move to the club and becoming captain in his mid 20s.

He said: "It was a big shock [moving to Fulham] from being up north all my life and then coming to London - housing prices was one of them! I loved the buzz of it, the London lights, not getting sucked in to that though.

"To be honest, I fell in love with it as soon as I came down and I never wanted to leave. I was lucky that the fans took to me quite early and I've had the best years of my career here. Up and down moments but honestly to be here nine years, to experience the highs that I've had, I'm very fortunate and I owe the club a lot.

Cairney, who is now 33, was named captain in 2016 and said: "I think it was a surprise really because at the time Scott Parker was the club captain, a hell of a player, a hell of a career but just one pre-season Slavisa Jokanovic just gave me the captaincy and all the boys were like 'what? You're my captain?'

"It just became normal but the disrespect was mad at the start on the bus. I remember Crystal Palace pre-season, he named me as captain and a few of the boys came for me a bit."

On whether he changed after becoming captain: "I think I've changed more as I've got older. Especially talking wise. As a younger player, talking before the game but at that time when I was like 25, I tried to lead more by example than be vocal because I think that is difficult at that age."