Fulham v Aston Villa: Team news, head-to-head, where to watch, lineups, prediction
Aston Villa will be keen to bounce back to winning ways in the Premier League as they return from the international break with an away trip to Fulham on Saturday (19 October).
The Villans have had a largely positive start to the campaign, which currently sees them occupying fifth place in the Premier League and just four points off top spot.
Preview
Unai Emery’s side are coming off the back of a 0-0 draw against Manchester United (6 October) in one of the most boring games of the season so far.
This was the second draw in as many league outings for Villa, who did beat Bayern Munich in between those clashes in the Champions League with Jhon Duran grabbing the all-important winner.
Heading to Craven Cottage, the away side will be keen to return from a two-week break with all three points against another in-form side.
Marco Silva’s side did lose their last game but with that being said, they gave a very good account of themselves in a 3-2 loss against Manchester City.
Andreas Pereira and Rodrigo Muniz were both on the scoresheet and things could have been so different if ex-Villa man Adama Traore had found the net after clocking up 1.29 expected goals [FotMob].
The Cottagers had gone unbeaten in their previous seven games in all competitions, last losing to Manchester United on the opening day of the season.
Both sides will be keen to get back to winning ways in the Premier League in the clash in West London.
Form Guide (Premier League)
Fulham: LWWDD
Aston Villa: DDWWW
Head-to-head (past five meetings, all comps)
Fulham 1-2 Aston Villa (17 February, 2024)
Aston Villa 3-1 Fulham (12 November, 2023)
Aston Villa 1-0 Fulham (25 April, 2023)
Fulham 3-0 Aston Villa (20 October, 2022)
Aston Villa 3-1 Fulham (4 April, 2021)
Team News
The Villans could be without Amadou Onana, Ezri Konsa, Jacob Ramsey and Jaden Philogene for the clash at Craven Cottage as their injury crisis continues.
This also sees captain John McGinn likely to miss out after suffering a hamstring issue against Wolves.
There is a chance that Boubacar Kamara and Tyrone Mings could feature in the matchday squad after long-term injury concerns after returning for the under-21s in recent weeks.
The only Fulham concern is that Joachim Andersen could miss out at Craven Cottage, but there is still a positive chance that he will feature.
Sasa Lukic, Carlos Vinicius and Jorge Cuenca are all likely to miss out, with no recovery date yet set out for the Cottagers trio.
Predicted lineups
Fulham: Leno; Tete, Andersen, Bassey, Robinson, Berge, Pereira, Smith Rowe; Adama, Iwobi, Jimenez
Aston Villa: Martinez; Cash, Carlos, Torres, Digne; Bailey, Barkley, Tielemans, Rogers; Duran, Watkins
Where to watch
The match at Craven Cottage kicks off at 3pm GMT on Saturday, 19 October, meaning live footage is not available in the UK, due to the Premier League’s 3pm blackout rule.
Prediction: Fulham 1-3 Aston Villa
Despite keeping a clean sheet in their last two games in all competitions, a shutout has been way to rare for Emery’s side, especially away from home.
This means it is likely that Fulham get on the scoresheet but with the firepower that the Villans have with the likes of Duran, Watkins and Rogers, they are going to make life difficult for the home side’s back line.
This could see Villa boosted up to second in the Premier League if other results go their way, while Silva will hope for a win to send his side potentially as high as sixth.
In other Aston Villa news, one star could now be fast-tracked to the first team set up after what happened in his last game.
For more Aston Villa news, follow us on Facebook or join our brand new WhatsApp Channel for instant updates to be sent straight to your phone.