Fulham vs Bournemouth

Fulham and Bournemouth are set to trade tackles in a handsomely-looking Premier League game at Craven Cottage.

Fulham pulled off a remarkable late comeback to squeeze past title hopefuls Chelsea 2-1 on Boxing Day, putting an emphatic stop to a frustrating run of three consecutive Premier League draws. Now unbeaten in six league matches on the spin (W2, D4), Marco Silva’s men return to Craven Cottage, where they’ve only lost two top-flight outings this season (W4, D3, L2). The impending meeting with Bournemouth could go either way, as evidenced by an evenly-poised H2H Premier League record in West London (W1, D1, L1). Silva has found a recipe for success against the Cherries, having avoided defeat in all five previous managerial H2Hs while in charge of Fulham, Everton, or Hull City (W3, D2). The only concern for the Cottagers could be a fragile defense, which has only kept one clean sheet in nine home league matches this term.

Unlike Fulham, Bournemouth faltered on Boxing Day, slipping to a tepid 0-0 home draw against Crystal Palace despite generating 18 shots and 1.19 xG. That result was a far cry from a stunning 3-0 victory at Manchester United on their last Premier League travel, though it did extend their unbeaten streak in England’s elite division to six games (W4, D2). Andoni Iraola’s charges have recently fared outstandingly on the road, racking up a three-game winning league run outside Boscombe while bagging 2+ goals on each occasion. Another victory would mark a landmark occasion for the Cherries as it’d equal the club’s longest winning away streak in the Premier League set in December last year. Bournemouth’s impressive record of ten away goals scored past the 60th minute suggests they could be a menace after the hour mark.