Fulham

Katie Stafford
BBC Sport journalist

Fulham boss Marco Silva has been speaking to the media before Sunday's Premier League game at Aston Villa (kick-off 14:00 BST).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• There are no new injury concerns and there "is a chance" Kevin will be available depending on how training goes on Saturday.

• He said he wants his team "to play with confidence" at Villa Park and "to keep doing our maximum to get the three points".

• On the possibility of making it three wins in a row against Aston Villa: "To go and fight for three wins in a row is massive for us. It's been a tough place for us to go. We know the quality they have, but they haven't started the way they will have wanted."

• Silva said Villa Park is "a lovely place to play football because it's very intense" and the fans "are very passionate". He added: "We should control the way we play. We know what we have to do to win the football match."

• He said "it was nice" to see Emile Smith Rowe score against Cambridge United in the Carabao Cup. He added that there were "some solid performances and some not so good".

• Team "confidence is at a very good level" after gaining eight points from the opening five games and they want to build on that.

Follow all of Friday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

Listen to commentary of Aston Villa v Fulham on BBC Radio 5 Live at 14:00 on Sunday

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The fourth-round fixtures of the EFL Cup have been confirmed:

• Arsenal v Brighton

• Grimsby Town v Brentford

• Swansea City v Manchester City

• Newcastle United v Tottenham

• Wrexham v Cardiff City

• Liverpool v Crystal Palace

• Wolves v Chelsea

• Wycombe v Fulham

Ties to be played in the week of 27 October

Fulham manager Marco Silva says Wales midfielder Harry Wilson, 28, who was targeted by Leeds over the summer, will hold talks over a contract extension. (Sky Sports), external

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

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

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Fulham boss Marco Silva, speaking after the 1-0 win over Cambridge United in the Carabao Cup: "Everything was slow in the first half: the way we played, the way we circulated the ball, the tempo in our possession.

"Even if you have 80 per cent of possession, like we had, if you are not aggressive enough on the ball and with your moves, with your dynamic, it doesn't matter. You can have 90 or 95 per cent [but] you are not going to create anything.

"We had just one good chance first half. And it was our fault, of course. They tried to block - they sat back.

"Clearly it wasn't our most inspirational night for our most creative players, because in some moments in these type of games, you need the most creative players to create something.

"But in terms of tempo, the intensity, the aggressiveness on the ball, you have to do much quicker. We did second half, and that was the reason why we scored and created more chances.

"It wasn't a good performance for us at all, not with the inspiration that we need to play football in some moments, too.

"We knew what was our obligation. Sometimes it's not easy to say and to use this word, obligation, but of course we were clearly the favourites to be in the next round.

"We had to make it happen, and we did. We are going to play in the next round."

Marissa Thomas
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

It was a completely different line-up for the Cottagers as boss Marco Silva made 11 changes - but only a few took their chance to make their mark.

Fulham had 82% possession in the opening 45 minutes but did not make it count with just two successful crosses from 11 attempts.

Neither side got any of their four shots on target in a largely uneventful first half, with Cambridge defending stoutly.

Adama Traore, who has yet to start in the Premier League this season, started brightly as his cross picked out Jimenez, whose back-post header was pushed behind by visiting goalkeeper Jake Eastwood.

But the Spain international was well marshalled by the visiting defence and had two further crosses blocked, before he was substituted six minutes before Fulham took the lead.

Jimenez was lively and hooked an effort over from close range and headed another chance wide from a corner.

The hosts were eventually able to overcome their lower-league opponents, but Silva looked distinctly unimpressed with his side throughout the match.

Marco Silva makes 11 changes to the Fulham side who beat Brentford at the weekend.

Summer signing Kevin starts for the Whites in attack along with Adama Traore and Raul Jimenez while defender Antonee Robinson returns from injury.

Sander Berge, Josh King and Harry Wilson are among those who drop to the bench.

Fulham XI: Lecomte, Castagne, Diop, Cuenca, Robinson, Reed, Cairney, Adama, Smith Rowe, Kevin, Raul.

Subs: Leno, Tete, Bassey, Berge, King, Wilson, Chukwueze, Muniz, Kusi-Asare.

There are eight changes to the Cambridge side who beat Fleetwood Town on Saturday.

Goalkeeper Jake Eastwood, midfielder James Brophy and forward Adam Mayor are the trio who keep their places.

Cambridge XI: Eastwood, Bennett, Bradshaw, Ibsen Rossi, Jobe, Smith, McLoughlin, Mpanzu, Brophy, Mayor, Lavery.

Subs: Hughes, Purrington, Ball, Watts, Kachunga, Kaikai, Knight, Gibbons, Kouassi.

There are eight games in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday - six involving Premier League sides - and BBC Sport will bring you every moment.

• Barnsley v Brighton - listen on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 3

• Burnley v Cardiff City

• Fulham v Cambridge United - listen on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

• Lincoln City v Chelsea - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Wolves v Everton

• Liverpool v Southampton (20:00) - listen on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 2

Kick-off times 19:45 BST unless stated

Follow all of the action and reaction here

You can also listen to 5 Live commentaries on most smart speakers. Just say "ask BBC Sounds to play Lincoln v Chelsea" or "ask BBC Sounds to play Liverpool v Southampton", for instance.

Find out more about how to listen to football on BBC Sounds

Nat Hayward
BBC Sport journalist

Fulham boss Marco Silva has been speaking to the media before Tuesday's Carabao Cup third-round tie against League Two Cambridge United at Craven Cottage (19:45 BST).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Silva confirmed he has "nothing in terms of new injuries" and Antonee Robinson will "probably" be in contention to play, adding it is "a chance for him to have minutes".

• On Harry Wilson's future: "I know him very well. I know how much we wants to stay at the football club. If we can get an agreement, his future is going to be with us - 100% sure. The links with other clubs are normal."

• Asked how much of a priority the Carabao Cup is for Fulham, Silva said: "We are very serious. I mentioned last round, we have to do our maximum – doesn't matter if you change one, two or 10 players, our ambition is to be in the next round."

• He stressed the importance of the Whites performing well in cup competitions: "I understood some things that I changed straightaway, in terms of mindset and mentality for these type of competitions, and we have been really serious [since]. That was the reason why we have been achieving important stages of both cups throughout the past few seasons, and we want to do the same in the Carabao Cup."

• On easing new signings Jonah Kusi-Asare and Samuel Chukwueze into the team: "Naturally, they are going to get minutes throughout the season, because we signed them. [Kusi-Asare] is a young lad, he needs time to adapt. He came from a massive club, let's see when he's ready to have minutes. It will take time."

• On facing League Two Cambridge United: "Massive respect, of course, to our opposition side. You know it's a chance for them to be in the highlights the next day after the match. Playing at home, of course we are favourites, no doubts about it, but we have to prove on the pitch that we want to be in the next round, and this is our aim for the game."

Follow all of the day's football news

Listen to BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra commentary of Fulham v Cambridge at 19:45 on Tuesday

Drew Heatley
Fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

Saturday's derby victory was illustrative of the importance of consistency.

I'll hold my hands up: I have criticised the club, specifically its recruitment team, for our transfer activity this summer. And though I still believe it was slow, and we are too light in certain areas – like midfield – our squad is full of quality and, crucially, the majority have been with Fulham for more than two seasons.

It is that familiarity with the club and Marco Silva's philosophy that helped us against Brentford and has helped create a strong start to the season.

That strength is highlighted by the contrast in our neighbours' fortunes. The Bees were stripped of their manager, as Thomas Frank fled to Tottenham, while key cogs in his machine including Bryan Mbuemo, Yoane Wissa and Christian Norgaard also departed.

That meant that we faced a significantly different Brentford side this weekend than the one we defeated just four months ago at the Gtech Stadium.

Fourteen of the players that featured for us on Saturday also played in our previous game against our west London rivals – and it showed.

It was fitting that two of our three goals came from Alex Iwobi and Harry Wilson, the latter netting his fourth goal against Brentford in less than a year.

Both players have their wing berths under threat from new recruits Kevin and Samuel Chukwueze.

Iwobi bagged a goal and an assist while Wilson showed why he causes so many Brentford fans to wake up in a cold sweat with another cool finish.

With a squad that knows each other – and the task at hand – inside out, plus added strength in key areas to push up our overall quality, the mood is pretty good in SW6 right now.

Hopefully that stays over the coming weeks.

Find more from Drew Heatley at Fulhamish, external

We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's Premier League game between Fulham and Brentford

Here are some of your comments:

Fulham fans

Marios: Fulham have become determined and hard to beat. They set the pace last night and Brentford were all over the place. What a squad Marco Silva has built - so much depth in every position.

John: Excellent all-round team effort. Josh King didn't let his error affect his performance - good to see his team-mates rally around him. Dealt well with all Brentford's long throws and set-pieces. Like watching Tony Pulis' Stoke - without the finesse. Harry Wilson did his usual Brentford thing with a lovely finish but the goal of the game should have been Rodrigo Muniz's. Even when we win, VAR has it in for us.

Luke: Two contrasting styles. Our emphasis seemed to be on playing out, getting on the ball and our offensive players making smart, penetrating runs. Brentford's was so focused on set-pieces but thankfully we dealt with them fairly well. Best team won.

David: I was very pleased and thought it a very dominant performance. Could have been even more convincing but for a goal being ruled offside by millimetres and one disallowed for an apparent foul, proving that in the eyes of today's officials, football is no longer a contact sport. Fulham will get much better.

Brentford fans

Les: Brentford have bought about their own destruction, by appointing a very inexperienced manager and not buying a replacement for Yoane Wissa as promised.

Brian: Hoofball didn't work. We needed four at the back in this game. The extra centre-half meant we played without wingers and Fulham pressed our wing-backs so that there was no footballing route towards our twin strikers, of which Kevin Schade would have been better employed in a front three. Record signing Dango Ouattara consigned to the bench? Really dire to watch, and if this continues I will start to get worried

David: The derby didn't quite deliver the quality football I was hoping for. Schade and Igor Thiago didn't seem to be on the same page, and we struggled to create opportunities from set-pieces. Keith Andrews needs to rethink his strategy, as the substitutions didn't effectively change the game or break down Fulham's defence.

Peter: Andrew flatters to deceive. We started with the wrong line-up and I think the board will have to bite the bullet sooner rather than later. In truth, in all our matches we have for the most part been outplayed.

Fulham boss Marco Silva, speaking to BBC Sport: "Two in a row is very good for us. Very difficult to achieve. The feeling is top. Well deserved. That's the main thing. We were the best team from the first minute to the last one. Great first half, great football from us. We dominated all the first half.

"We created many problems for them. The reaction was very good from the mistake. I like the way the players support Josh King straight away. It was a difficult moment for him. The reaction from King was top.

"Second goal, what an amazing finish. It was a good challenge on set-pieces. Many long throws, probably around 25. We handled it really well. We were brave and well organised. The players kept their focus. Proud of the players. To have a better weekend is what we want."

On Josh King: "He knows the trust we have in him he's working very hard. He's a top talent. I like his maturity too. I love how he's so humble and has the right mindset."

Did you know?

• Fulham have won three league matches in a row against Brentford for only the second time in their history and for the first time since October 1929, when the Cottagers won each of their first three matches against the Bees.

Pundits Wayne Rooney and Danny Murphy join host Kelly Cates to bring you the action and talking points from Saturday's Premier League fixtures.

Watch on BBC iPlayer here

And listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Brighton 2-2 Tottenham

• Wolves 1-3 Leeds

• Man Utd 2-1 Chelsea

Timothy Abraham
BBC Sport Journalist

Image source, Getty Images

Fulham had scored just one goal from open play this season but Marco Silva relaxed the sleeves of their defensive straitjacket against Brentford and his side played with more adventure.

That attacking ambition was spearheaded by the impressive Alex Iwobi, whose intelligent use of the ball in possession and slickness in transition was key for the Cottagers.

For just the second time in his career - the first coming against Liverpool in April - he scored and assisted in a Premier League game.

It is rare for the joy of scoring a goal to be eclipsed by supplying one for a team-mate, yet this might have been one such instance.

Iwobi's strike was a case of right place and right time, as he crisply whipped a low effort past Caoimhin Kelleher following Brentford's bungled attempts to clear.

The assist for Harry Wilson's goal 98 seonds later was the game's stellar moment, though.

The Nigeria international exquisitely threaded an angled ball out of reach of the toes of Brentford's defenders and Wilson dispatched it with aplomb.

Fulham's third goal effectively sealed the result and it then became a Silva masterclass in organisation and discipline as they saw the game out without too much threat.

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

Have your say on Fulham's performance

What did you make of Brentford's display?

Come back on Monday for a selection of your replies

Fulham boss Marco Silva has named the same starting line-up which secured a 1-0 win over Leeds United in the Premier League last weekend.

They won that match courtesy of a own goal but Silva sticks with Rodrigo Muniz up front with Harry Wilson, Josh King and Alex Iwobi in behind.

The Cottagers have plenty of attacking options in reserve with Adama Traore, Emile Smith Rowe and Raul Jimenez on the bench.

Fulham XI: Leno, Tete, Andersen, Bassey, Sessegnon, Berge, Lukic, Iwobi, King, Wilson, Muniz

Subs: Lecomte, Jimenez, Cairney, Adama, Cuenca, Chukwueze, Castagne, Kevin, Smith Rowe

Brentford head coach Keith Andrews makes 10 changes from the side which beat Aston Villa on penalties in the Carabao Cup during the week.

Sepp Van Den Berg is the only survivor as the likes of Caoimhin Kelleher, Jordan Henderson, Yehor Yarmoliuk and Michael Kayode all return.

Fabio Carvalho, who scored a dramatic equaliser after coming off the bench in a 2-2 draw against Chelsea in their last Premier League match, is again among the substitutes.

Brentford XI: Kelleher, Kayode, Van Den Berg, Collins, Pinnock, Lewis-Potter, Damsgaard, Henderson, Yarmoliuk, Schade, Thiago

Subs: Valdimarsson, Hickey, Henry, Jensen, Carvalho, Onyeka, Ouattara, Ajer, Janelt

There are seven games in the Premier League on Saturday and BBC Sport will bring you every moment.

• Liverpool v Everton (12:30)

• Brighton v Tottenham - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Burnley v Nottingham Forest

• West Ham v Crystal Palace

• Wolves v Leeds

• Manchester United v Chelsea (17:30) - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Fulham v Brentford (20:00)

Kick-off times 15:00 BST unless stated

Follow all of the action and reaction here

I actually got a Fulham prediction right last week - and I think it was for the first time ever.

This is a hard one to call because Brentford are useful on the counter-attack under Keith Andrews, but Fulham did the double over the Bees last season.

After successfully backing Fulham to beat Leeds United, I'm going to stick with them.

Sutton's prediction: 2-1

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Matthew Hobbs
BBC Sport journalist

Fulham host Brentford this weekend with the London clubs sitting 11th and 12th respectively in the Premier League table.

BBC Sport examines some of they key themes ahead of their meeting at Craven Cottage, including why corners could be key for both sides.

Fulham's reliance on corners

This meeting at Craven Cottage involves two teams who endured frustrating transfer windows in the summer and as a result, are struggling to create chances in front of goal from open play.

Fulham boss Marco Silva bemoaned the "passive" nature of Fulham's transfer business before the Cottagers signed Brazilian winger Kevin for a club-record fee on deadline day.

Despite his arrival, along with the loan agreements for AC Milan winger Samuel Chukwueze and Bayern Munich striker Johan Kusi-Asare, Fulham have so far failed to fire in attack.

It means that corners have taken on particular significance for Silva's side. They are yet score from open play this season, with two of their three goals coming from corners – the highest share of any Premier League team.

Fulham are also yet to concede from open play, with two of the four goals they have let in coming from corners, along with two penalties.

Brentford's set-piece threat

Brentford have so far managed to pick up four points despite a lack of accuracy in front of goal this season but their model of doing so may not be sustainable over the course of the campaign.

The Bees lost both Bryan Mbuemo and Yoane Wissa during the summer and although they brought in Dango Ouattara for a club record fee, Keith Andrews' side have recorded the fewest shots (33) of any Premier League side other than Burnley.

Brentford have scored five goals although like Fulham, they have been reliant on set-pieces to provide their predominant goal threat.

Their expected goals tally is 5.33 when factoring in set-plays but this metric drops to 2.25 from open play – ranking Brentford 17th in the Premier League.

Additionally, Brentford have played only 132 line-breaking passes – the fewest of any top-flight side -with just five of these breaking the opposition's defensive line.

Corners for both sides could be key come Saturday afternoon at Craven Cottage.

Fulham boss Marco Silva has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game against Brentford at Craven Cottage (kick-off 20:00 BST).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• There are no fresh injury concerns for Fulham after Alex Iwobi trained on Friday morning, despite picking up a knock in the victory over Leeds last Saturday.

• Summer signing Kevin has made an impact "straight away" after impressing fans but Silva believes everything is a process: "I have enough time to help him in the future. You have to have an impact - he made it straight away. If the fans have this reaction from you, then 10-15% of your job is done. You have the other 85% - 90% to do now. We are ready to help him."

• He added: "I like the fans to react in the way they think is best. They have been supporting all the players, home and away. It's what I really need."

• The Whites manager said he "loves his job" when discussing his contract expiring next summer: "I don't want it to be a distraction [his contract]. I'm fully focused since I joined. We had some conversations last season - we are always speaking. The right time to talk about it will come."

• He added: "Everyone knows I'm excited. I love my job, I love the football club. Every day, for me is the best day in the world. I'm full of ambition and motivation to improve the club."

• Local rivals Brentford have been building a reputation for "causing chaos" with their long throws so far this season but Silva said Fulham are ready to face them: "We prepare ourselves. We know their strengths and what we can explore. They are a good example of using the long throw. We have explored Brentford's setup."

• On the importance of the derby: "The players understand. Most of our players know what it means, because we didn't change [the squad] much. They know the motivation. It's going to be easy for the new players to understand. Everybody knows what to expect from the game."

Follow all of Friday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news