Preview: Fulham - Wolverhampton Wanderers

Posted Saturday, April 17, 2010 by

Cottagers looking to recreate European form…

Kick-off: Saturday, April 17, 15:00 BST
Craven Cottage, London

Fulham will look to build on their recent run of good form on Saturday when they host a Wolverhampton Wanderers side keen to move further away from the relegation zone.

After last season’s seventh-placed finish in the Premier League, there were doubts about whether manager Roy Hodgson would be able to emulate last year’s achievement, yet despite only lying 12th in the table, the Cottagers' boss is in the running for manager of the year because of his team’s remarkable European exploits.

Fulham have managed to overcome holders Shakhtar Donetsk, Juventus and Wolfsburg in the Europa League knockout stages and are now preparing for a semi-final clash against Hamburg; and if they can beat the Germans, the Cottagers could play Liverpool in the final - assuming the Reds overcome Atletico Madrid in their semi-final.

It is not just their Europa League run that has impressed, with Roy Hodgson’s men boasting a fantastic defensive record for a side currently in a mid-table position, conceding just 37 goals in 33 league games, as well as proving very difficult to beat at home.

The Cottagers have one of the worst away records in the division, winning just one match - against Portsmouth on the opening day of the season. But at Craven Cottage it’s a different matter. They have picked up 32 points from their 16 home games this season and have lost just one of their last ten matches at Craven Cottage.

Wolves were among the favourites for relegation at the start of the season, and coming into the new year that seemed justified with Mick McCarthy’s men lying 19th in the table as recently as February; but a string of good results in the last month has seen them climb up the league, and they now lie 14th, six points clear of the drop zone.

Their recent resurgence, which has included draws at home to Everton and Stoke City, as well as impressive away wins over Burnley and West Ham United, has coincided with a change of formation, with McCarthy scrapping his usual 4-4-2 for a more organised 4-5-1, using Kevin Doyle as a lone striker.

The change of formation has made Wolves much more difficult to break down. After conceding 42 goals in 24 Premier League games, they have conceded just nine goals in their last ten league matches, a run which has also seen goalkeeper Marcus Hahnemann keep three clean sheets.

However, despite their good form of late, Wolves have failed to score in six of their last nine games, and with just 28 goals to their name this season, along with Portsmouth they have scored fewest Premier League goals. Mick McCarthy will be keen to rectify that problem when he takes his side to Craven Cottage on Saturday.

FORM GUIDE

Fulham

11 Apr: Liverpool 0-0 Fulham (Premier League)
08 Apr: Wolfsburg 0-1 Fulham (Europa League)
04 Apr: Fulham 2-1 Wigan Athletic (Premier League)
01 Apr: Fulham 2-1 Wolfsburg (Europa League)
27 Mar: Hull City 2-0 Fulham (Premier League)

Wolverhampton Wanderers

11 Apr: Wolverhampton Wanderers 0-0 Stoke City (Premier League)
03 Apr: Arsenal 1-0 Wolverhampton Wanderers (Premier League)
27 Mar: Wolverhampton Wanderers 0-0 Everton (Premier League)
23 Mar: West Ham United 1-3 Wolverhampton Wanderers (Premier League)
20 Mar: Aston Villa 2-2 Wolverhampton Wanderers (Premier League)

TEAM NEWS

Fulham

Leading scorer Bobby Zamora overcame an Achilles problem to play against Liverpool last week and will be in contention to start again.

John Pantsil has been out since December with a knee injury but played a reserve game in midweek and could return.

Clint Dempsey could miss out with a thigh injury, while Simon Davies will face a late fitness test.

Last starting line-up (v Liverpool): Schwarzer; Baird, Hughes, Hangeland, Konchesky; Duff, Murphy, Etuhu, Greening; Zamora, Nevland.

Wolverhampton Wanderers

Wolves will be without captain Karl Henry once again as he serves the second of a three-match ban following his dismissal against Arsenal.

Dave Edwards replaced Henry for last week’s draw with Stoke and is likely to get the nod again ahead of Nenad Milijas.

There are no other injury worries for boss Mick McCarthy, who looks set to name an unchanged starting line-up.

Last starting line-up (v Stoke): Hahnemann; Zubar, Berra, Craddock, Elokobi; Mancienne; Foley, Edwards, Jones, Jarvis; Doyle.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Fulham

There were doubts over whether Bobby Zamora would still be at Craven Cottage this season when Fulham accepted a £5million offer for the striker from Hull City in the summer. But after the former West Ham United striker rejected the move, he was determined to prove his worth and he has done just that.

Zamora scored just four goals for the club last season but has already netted 19 this term, including crucial strikes against Shakhtar Donetsk, Juventus and Wolfsburg in the Europa League, and off the back of such a great campaign, he is now considered as an outsider to make Fabio Capello’s World Cup squad.

Wolverhampton Wanderers

Mick McCarthy splashed out a club record fee of £6.5 million in the summer to sign Kevin Doyle from Reading and it has proven to be a bargain with the Republic of Ireland international spearheading the Wolves attack in favour of last season’s top scorer Sylvain Ebanks-Blake.

The 26-year-old has become first choice striker in McCarthy’s 4-5-1 formation and has impressed, scoring seven goals in 30 league appearances. However, he has scored just twice in his last 17 games and will be keen to address that at Craven Cottage on Saturday.

PREDICTION

Fulham have been very good at home this season and are in good form currently, especially in the Europa League, while Wolves have not disgraced themselves on the road, winning four league games away from home this term. But even if Fulham opt to rest their key players on Saturday ahead of Thursday’s trip to Hamburg, as they did against Hull, I still expect them to have enough against Wolves.

Fulham 2-1 Wolverhampton Wanderers