English Premier
2024-11-23 - Fulham vs Wolves
A Sports Betting Pick by Auls
Football: English Premier League
Saturday 23rd November 2024 - Kick Off 3pm
Fulham
The very solid win at Selhurst Park has placed Fulham alongside a clutch of Premier League clubs that are jockeying for position in and around the European spots. In recent seasons since returning to the top flight under Marco Silva, Fulham have flashed their qualities and suggested they could fight for a return to European Football, although they will need to steer clear of injuries to do that.
The side are up into 7th place in the Premier League table and Fulham are only a point behind London rivals Chelsea and Arsenal in the top four spots. Marco Silva will know that the performances at Craven Cottage will be critical and Fulham have put together a 3-1-1 record here through the first quarter of the season.
Fulham are not only unbeaten in 3 Premier League games, but the late goals against Brentford were followed by a more comfortable victory over Crystal Palace with the team looking for a third success in a row. They beat Brentford here, but Fulham have not won consecutive fixtures at Craven Cottage since March.
Sasa Lukic looks to be the only doubt in the home squad.
Wolves
Gary O'Neil has been given the benefit of the doubt thanks to the hard work he put together as Wolves manager last season, but the resolve of the board would have been tested if not for the 2-0 win over Southampton two weeks ago. Over the next month, Wolves have a real opportunity to build on the first win of the Premier League season as they look to drag themselves out of the relegation zone.
They might have been one of the last Premier League teams to earn a win this season, but Wolves have pulled themselves up into 19th place thanks to the success at Molineux two weeks ago. The side are now just 2 points behind Ipswich Town in 17th place and will head to West London with a 0-2-3 away record behind them.
Wolves might have been winless before the victory over Southampton, but there had been some positive signs and the team are actually unbeaten in 3 Premier League fixtures. They had lost 3 away games in a row in all competitions before fighting back from 2-0 down in a 2-2 draw with Brighton at the Amex Stadium.
The shorter-term injuries look to be clearing up for Wolves, although there are a few names that are going to be missing for the remainder of the calendar year at least. Hee-Chan Hwang is hoping to be available for selection to add to the attacking threats Wolves have been able to put on the field.
Head to Head
Both Fulham and Wolves beat the other at home in the Premier League last season.
Prior to the 3-2 success last season, Fulham had failed to win any of 3 home games against Wolves.
Prediction
Heavy rain can be problematic in any football match, but adding huge gusts of wind will make this fixture in West London that much more challenging for both clubs.
The forecasts suggest this game could be played in a window where the wind dies down and that will be important to both Marco Silva and Gary O'Neill, who both want their football team to play in a certain way.
Fulham have impressed and they earned back to back Premier League wins before the last international break, which will only aid the confidence of the squad. They have not won consecutive fixtures at Craven Cottage since March, which is a concern, but a healthy squad is giving Marco Silva a selection headache, one that most managers will appreciate.
Importantly he has players coming off the bench to make a big impact in matches and that is only another positive for a Fulham team that may yet be thinking about challenging for European Football.
The ambitions of Wolves might not be as great, but 3 unbeaten in the Premier League culminating in a first League win of the season has just offered Gary O'Neil a respite from the pressure that was building. He is working under trying conditions, but O'Neil will be well aware that this is a results business and his Wolves team have a good fixture list coming up.
Wolves will certainly travel to Fulham with the expectation of pulling out a big result, but the defensive numbers have to improve. They showed character to earn a 2-2 draw at Brighton in their last away Premier League game, but means Wolves have conceded at least twice in 4 away games in all competitions.
Now they have to face a Fulham team in very strong form at Craven Cottage and one that does create a lot of chances in the attacking third. Containing that threat will be a real test for Wolves and the expectation is that Fulham will win a game that features at least two goals on the day.
The Statistics :
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The Pick :
Fulham 2-1 Wolves
FIXED ODDS BETTING TIP :
I'll back Fulham to Win & Over 1 Total Goal (Bet Builder) at 1.91 with Bet365 (early payout if a team is two goals ahead)
