Fulham welcome Preston ~ Ch. Team News MD34
last updated Saturday 04th March 2017, 12:03 AM
Team News
Fulham vrs Preston North End
Championship Match Day 34 1617 at Craven Cottage
Saturday 4th March 2017 KO: 15:00
Referee:
Simon Hooper (Wiltshire)
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Fulham Coach Slavisa Jokanovic is ruing the loss of Lucas Piazon, but remains hopeful of having him available before the end of the season.
The Brazilian had scored in each of his previous two league outings prior to breaking his jaw in Cardiff, and his Head Coach admitted his absence will be a blow.
“He is a big loss for us,” he stated. “Lucas has been important to us this season. He was an important man in terms of our offensive work.
“He is tactically a very clever man, he was generous in the game, and worked hard without the ball too.
“We are going to miss him but this is part of football. He will be ready in April to help us for some of the last games in the Championship.
“Lucas was an important part of my squad, I used him from the beginning and from the bench too. He will be out for six to eight weeks.
“It’s part of the game and other people will try and do the job that he did for us. It’s a big loss for us but the squad has enough quality to replace him and offer us something similar, or something different.”
Floyd Ayité also left the field of play prematurely last week and is unlikely to be risked in Fulham’s upcoming matches, while Thanos Petsos is also out.
“We expect Floyd is going to be with us in a few days,” Jokanovic explained. “It’s probably 99.9 per cent that we’re going to lose Floyd for the next two games, but the possibility exists that he could be ready for the Newcastle game.
“Thanos has a calf problem and we have assessed him, but he is still not ready to be working with us and is another player who is not available for our game against Preston.”
Neeskens Kebano is Piazon's likely replacement while Ryan Sessegnon could also earn a recall to the starting line-up.
Fulham, a point better off than this weekend's opponents with a game in hand, are five points adrift of the top six.
Fulham have won five and drawn two of their last eight league games against Preston (L1), recording victories in each of the last two.
Fulham haven't been involved in a goalless draw at Craven Cottage in a league game since August 2011 against Aston Villa - all 118 games since have seen at least one goal scored.
Tom Cairney needs one more assist for double figures in the Championship this season - he's assisted three of Fulham's last four league goals
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Preston will have no recognised right-back in the squad that makes the trip.
A knee injury suffered by Tyias Browning has seen him join Marnick Vermijl (hernia) and Alex Baptiste (knee) on the sidelines.
Manager Simon Grayson will either deploy left-back Greg Cunningham on the opposite flank or revert to a flat back three.
The good news for Grayson is that midfielder Ben Pearson is available again having trained all week following a groin problem.
Preston are undefeated in their two league trips to Craven Cottage in the 21st Century (W1 D1), last losing there in May 1999.
Preston have only lost one of their last 11 league games (W5 D5) and are unbeaten in 2017 (W3 D2).
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Source SkySports/BBC
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