Fulham meet Brighton & Hove Albion in a mid-table Premier League clash at Craven Cottage.
Victory would lift Fulham up to seventh if Sunderland lose at lunchtime, whilst Brighton likewise can go as high as seventh with a win coupled with a defeat for the Black Cats.
Team News
Calvin Bassey, Samuel Chukwueze and Alex Iwobi are available for Fulham following their returns from international duty at Africa Cup of Nations.
Sasa Lukic however is ruled out with a muscle injury suffered in the Cottagers’ 1-0 defeat at Leeds.
Emile Smith Rowe (knock) and Kenny Tete (hamstring) are doubts but Rodrigo Muniz (hamstring) remains sidelined.
Brighton will welcome Maxim De Cuyper back into contention after illness forced him to miss their 1-1 draw at home to Bournemouth.
Mats Wieffer (toe), Stefanos Tzimas (ACL), Solly March and Adam Webster (both knee) remain sidelined.
When is Kick-Off?
Fulham host Brighton at Craven Cottage on Saturday 24 January at 3pm GMT, untelevised live in the UK.
Stat Attack
- Fulham have lost one of 11 previous Premier League meetings against Brighton (W5, D5, L1).
- Brighton are yet to win away at Fulham in the Premier League (D1, L4).
- Fulham have scored three goals in both of their last two home matches against Brighton (W2), as they won 3-0 in March 2024 then 3-1 in December 2024.
- Fulham have dropped two points in their last three league matches at home (W2, D1).
- Brighton have claimed five points in four away meetings against London-based league opposition this season so far (W1, D2, L1).
Prediction
Having seen their recent strong run end at Leeds in a wasteful display where they were outplayed for majority of the second half, Fulham just need to reset now that Bassey, Chukwueze and Iwobi are back and keep playing like they’ve done but just with more clinical final touches.
Brighton meanwhile might of not won at Craven Cottage in the Premier League before but they will be buoyant by their late comeback draw at home to Bournemouth, which was unsurprisingly see-saw in terms of momentum at times and I would expect more of the same here.
Throw in the fact that this is a literal mid-table clash with both teams still not far from the European placings and there will be a small air of must-win vibes, I can see another tough game brewing where a draw feels like a safe call.
Prediction: Fulham 1-1 Brighton
Result: Fulham 2-1 Brighton
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