MY ACCOUNT
– All nine of Fulham’s Premier League games this season have produced three or more goals
– Everton scored three goals in a game for the first time since May last week
– Recommended Bet: Back over 2.5 goals to be scored
Marco Silva pits his free-scoring Fulham against an evolving Everton side in Saturday’s teatime Premier League kickoff at Craven Cottage.
This will be the Portuguese manager’s first Premier League match against the Toffees since he left the club in 2019 and he could hardly have hoped for his men to arrive in better form after back-to-back wins over Aston Villa and Leeds.
Likewise, Frank Lampard’s Blues produced their most convincing display of the season to beat Crystal Palace 3-0 last weekend with Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Anthony Gordon and Dwight McNeil all on the scoresheet.
The performance of Calvert-Lewin, making only his second start of the season, was key to the team’s cohesive attacking performance and the England hopeful’s duel with Fulham’s Aleksandar Mitrovic to be top dog here could also prove decisive to the result.
Team news
Fulham’s Manor Solomon remains out of action in the long term after undergoing knee surgery.
But fellow winger Daniel James is available for selection this weekend after he missed the trip to his parent club Leeds under the conditions of the loan arrangement.
Full-backs Kenny Tete (muscle) and Layvin Kurzawa (calf) have been sidelined recently and may not yet be ready to return.
Craven Cottage boss Silva recalled two regulars last weekend in Harry Wilson and Tosin Adarabioyo, but is likely to send out an unchanged side if he can.
Everton received a major boost this week with the news that Nathan Patterson will be available to return from an ankle injury he sustained while away on international duty with Scotland last month.
Lampard could be tempted to name the former Rangers star in his starting line-up again in place of Seamus Coleman as the only likely change to the team that beat Palace so comprehensively last week.
Andros Townsend (knee), Ben Godfrey (leg) and Yerry Mina (calf) all remain unavailable for the time being.
The stats
Fulham are bidding to score three or more goals in three top-flight games in a row for the first time since March 1966.
Bernd Leno and Jordan Pickford have been two of the busiest four goalkeepers in the Premier League with only Nottingham Forest’s Dean Henderson and Brentford’s David Raya having made more saves.
Only Kevin De Bruyne (9) has provided more assists in the Premier League this season than Alex Iwobi (5).
Fulham have won two of their last three Premier League games against Everton, but Calvert-Lewin hit a brace in a 3-2 Blues win the last time the sides met at Craven Cottage in November 2020.
Everton, however, are winless in their last six league games against promoted sides.
Prediction
Fulham have been flying of late with the return of Mitrovic from injury a major factor in the Whites’ return to winning ways.
The Serbian has struck three times in his club’s last three games to take his tally for the season to nine already.
He will relish the battle with Everton’s defence, which has been the bedrock that their best performances have been built upon.
But last week’s showing against Palace saw Lampard’s team find a new dimension in their attacking play with clever use of width and pressing from the front.
Fulham have also been aggressive front-foot pressers of possession-based sides, which could make for a hectic clash with plenty of chances and a few goals.
Mitrovic and Calvert-Lewin could both find opportunities come their way in a clash that produces over 2.5 goals — available to back at 4/5 via LiveScore Bet.
