Fulham Form
Recently Fulham have looked frankly lacklustre. In their last five league matches the Cottagers have taken just one win (3:1 against Burnley), have twice played out goalless draws and have suffered defeats to nil against Liverpool (0:2) and even West Ham United (0:1). The London club's attack has drawn a blank in three of their last four games. Marco Silva's team have settled into mid-table. Formally they are still in contention for European qualification, but inconsistency in their results does not allow any real hope of that.
Key Fulham stats:
- Across four of Fulham's last five matches only three goals have been scored in total.
- At home Marco Silva's men have failed to score in two of their last three games, including the FA Cup.
- In the five-game form table Fulham sit 17th.
Potential Fulham Lineup (4-2-3-1): Bernd Leno — Timothy Castagne, Joachim Andersen, Calvin Bassey, Ryan Sessegnon — Sasa Lukic, Tom Cairney — Harry Wilson, Emile Smith Rowe, Samuel Chukwueze — Rodrigo Muniz
Out: Kenny Tete, Alex Iwobi, Kevin (injuries)
Aston Villa Form
Aston Villa are fighting for European qualification at the limit of their capabilities. Recently they snatched a very hard-fought 4:3 victory over Sunderland, conceding twice near the end of normal time but once again showing character. In just two games last week the Clarets scored eight goals from 5.33 xG. Unai Emery's men understand perfectly the price of every mistake, so their focus is at its maximum right now.
Key Aston Villa stats:
- Aston Villa's average scoring rate away from home in this Premier League season is 1.25 goals with 0.71 xG.
- The Birmingham side have scored in nine matches in a row in all competitions.
- The Villans do not score many, but they are only in the red in the first 15 minutes of Premier League games. Over that spell Fulham lead 6:0.
Potential Aston Villa Lineup (4-2-3-1): Emiliano Martinez — Ezri Konsa, Diego Carlos, Pau Torres, Ian Maatsen — Amadou Onana, Youri Tielemans — John McGinn, Ross Barkley, Morgan Rogers — Ollie Watkins
Out: Boubacar Kamara (injury)
