Match Preview
Wolverhampton Wanderers versus Fulham
Premiership Match Day 27 24/25 at Molineux Stadium
Tuesday 25th February 2025 KO: 19:30
Referee:
Peter Bankes (Lancashire)
Live on: TNT Sports 4
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Fulham travel to Molineux on Tuesday evening looking to return to winning ways while Wolverhampton Wanderers fresh from a third win in four games, seek a third straight victory over Fulham.
Marco Silva's Fulham were condemned to an increasingly rare defeat on Saturday afternoon, where the travelling Crystal Palace faithful certainly enjoyed former defender Joachim Andersen turning the ball into the back of his own net for their side's first.
From an erstwhile Eagles defender to a current one, marauding right-back Daniel Munoz completed the job with a thunderous finish into the roof of the net from a tight angle, thus helping to end Fulham's three-match winning sequence and harming their ambitions of Europe.
The Cottagers are still clinging onto a top-half place in the Premier League standings, though, and they will remain within touching distance of the top seven no matter what transpires in Sunday's fixtures, so continental football could very well still be on offer at Craven Cottage next term.
The alarm bells should not be sounded just yet, though, as Fulham head to Molineux with an exceptional set of away statistics to fall back on; they have won their last three on the road, have scored twice in each of their last six and have not failed to make the net bulge in any game on rival turf since August's loss to Manchester United.
However, Silva's side were memorably the victims of some more Cunha magic in November's harrowing 4-1 loss to Wolves, who also prevailed 2-1 at Molineux last March and have only been beaten in one of their last nine matches against their capital counterparts.
Vitor Pereira's men capitalised on Bournemouth's indiscipline in a 1-0 triumph over the Cherries at the weekend, whereas the Cottagers were no match for London rivals Crystal Palace in a 2-0 beating.
Needing just five minutes to make the most of their numerical advantage, Wolves put a serious dent in Bournemouth's ambitious Champions League aspirations on the South Coast over the weekend, where Ilya Zabarnyi took the walk of shame for a crunching tackle on Rayan Ait-Nouri.
Ten men or not, the Cherries still should have defended Marshall Munetsi's 36th-minute cross into the box better, as the Zimbabwean's delivery somehow evaded every black and red shirt before falling at the feet of the clinical Matheus Cunha.
The in-demand Brazilian kept his composure to bag his 13th Premier League goal of the campaign, one that proved telling at the Vitality Stadium and propelled Wolves five points clear of Ipswich Town and Leicester City - both of whom lost in gameweek 26 - in the top-flight table.
Also rejoicing in recent wins over Aston Villa and Blackburn Rovers - both of which were to nil - the hosts' only loss from their last four contests in all competitions came away to Premier League leaders Liverpool last weekend, and even then they gave the Reds a brilliant run for their money in the second 45.
Pereira's rejuvenated men now seek to pull off a feat that they have not managed in almost exactly 12 months, winning back-to-back Premier League games at home, but four of their previous five top-flight victories at Molineux have been immediately followed by a defeat.
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Fulham's only win in their past nine Premier League games against Wolves was by 3-2 at Craven Cottage in November 2023.
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Wolves are unbeaten in 15 home league games against Fulham since a 4-0 loss in the second tier in April 1985 (W11, D4).
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Wolves could complete a Premier League double over the west London side for only the second time. are unbeaten in eight top-flight home games with Fulham, winning five and drawing three.
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The only season in which Fulham surpassed their current tally of five Premier League away wins was in 2022-23, when they claimed seven victories.
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They are aiming to win three successive top-flight away matches for the first time since April to May 2008 under Roy Hodgson.
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The Cottagers have either failed to score (three times) or scored exactly twice (eight times) in each of their last 11 league fixtures.
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Alex Iwobi has scored a career-best six Premier League goals against Wolves.
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Wolverhampton Wanderers
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Wolves are aiming to win consecutive home league games for the first time since last March, when the second of those victories came against Fulham.
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Their tally of eight top-flight home defeats this season is higher than any other non-promoted side.
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Two wins in their last three Premier League matches is as many as Wolves had managed in their previous 11.
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Wolves have only taken one point from the past 10 league fixtures in which they've conceded a goal.
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They have failed to win any of their 10 night-time kick-offs in the Premier League since beating Brentford away in December 2023. They've lost their last seven in a row, including all five this season by an aggregate score of 15-2.
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Matheus Cunha has 13 Premier League goals for Wolves this season - only Raul Jimenez, who scored 17 in 2019-20, has ever had a more prolific campaign at the club.
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Source Ben Knapton at SportsMole/BBCSports