Match Preview
Fulham vrs Bournemouth
Championship Match Day 21 2122 at Deepdale
Friday 3rd December 2021 KO: 19:45
Referee:
Tim Robinson (West Sussex)
Live on SkySports
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Fulham and Bournemouth square off in the Championship on Friday evening with the top two clubs separated by just one point in the standings.
Despite leading the race for automatic promotion, neither the Cottagers or Cherries have won either of their last two league fixtures, handing encouragement to the chasing pack.
Consistency is everything in the Championship, and it has proven to be the difference when it comes to Fulham and Bournemouth establishing a considerable advantage in the race for the Premier League.
However, ahead of reaching the halfway stage, both clubs have started to show vulnerability, particularly Bournemouth who have only recorded one victory in five games.
Neither Marco Silva or Scott Parker will be too concerned at this stage with previous challengers West Bromwich Albion having dropped off alarmingly over the past month.
Nevertheless, there will be an eagerness to get back on track with a resurgent Queens Park Rangers having recently moved to within seven points of second position.
Fulham will argue that they are still on an upward trajectory, the West Londoners unbeaten in nine Championship fixtures and having conceded just three goals.
That will not stop Silva from being disappointed with draws against Derby County and Preston North End, both occasions proving to be missed opportunities to surge clear of their next opponents.
Netting just once in two games has coincided with Aleksandar Mitrovic being ill, the Serbian not being fully match-fit upon his return during the 1-1 at Deepdale last weekend.
As far as Bournemouth are concerned, they have blown leads in three successive matches, collecting just two points when they went into the final half-hour of matches with Derby, Millwall and Coventry City with an advantage.
The latter of those three games was particularly frustrating, Bournemouth 2-0 ahead and cruising until Jefferson Lerma's sending off altered the course of the match.
While Parker will take the positives from that performance, he knows that his side can ill-afford another setback on his return to his former club.
Mitrovic and Bournemouth forward Dominic Solanke come into the game having scored 36 goals between them in the Championship this season.
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This is the first league meeting between Fulham and Bournemouth since April 2019 in the Premier League, with the Cottagers winning 1-0 under current Cherries boss Scott Parker.
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In the Championship, Fulham last met Bournemouth in March 2015, losing 5-1 at Craven Cottage under manager Kit Symons.
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Fulham have won their last seven home Championship matches played on a Friday by an aggregate score of 14-2, although they lost 5-1 to Bournemouth the last time they faced them on Friday at Craven Cottage in March 2015.
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The last former Fulham manager to face them at Craven Cottage won, Roy Hodgson with Crystal Palace in October last year when Parker was manager.
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Bournemouth have won nine of their last 12 league matches on Fridays (D2 L1), drawing 2-2 with West Brom on the opening day of this season in their only Friday match this season.
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Bournemouth manager Scott Parker took charge of 105 matches at Fulham between March 2019 and May 2021, with this his first match against the Cottagers.