Premier League: The Fulham Hurricane Heads North

Newcastle United vs Fulham

Two teams in starkly contrasting form are set to meet on Tyneside on Saturday when the Premier League game between Newcastle and Fulham is the box office attraction at St. James’ Park. 

Marco Silva’s Fulham have exploded into life over the past seven days, picking up six points in spectacular fashion with 5-0 wins over Nottingham Forest and West Ham United.

Over the same period, Eddie Howe’s Magpies have been through the mill, losing 3-0 to Everton and 4-1 to Tottenham Hotspur.    

The Premier League 2023 betting odds would have looked different a couple of weeks ago when the Geordies were flying high with 11 more points than the Cottagers. Now, with the gap down to five points, all three results are in play. 

Talking Points

Newcastle’s numbers are improving

Okay, Howe’s team haven’t picked up good Premier League 2023 results over the past couple of games, but he has been coping with a long injury list, and he can see the first signs that his options are improving.

Some key players are back to fitness, and midfielder Sean Longstaff and top striker Callum Wilson made their returns at the weekend. And now Newcastle fans have high hopes that full-back Dan Burn has recovered from a back injury he sustained during a win over Arsenal at the beginning of November.

One of the tallest defenders in the game at 6’7”, Burn has been a vital figure in Newcastle’s climb, and his return is timely as right-back Kieran Trippier is suspended for the Fulham game and so Howe will be able to shuffle his defencive pack.

Burn’s return after an absence of seven games will give the Newcastle rearguard a much needed shot in the arm. The Magpies have lost three of their last five Premier League games and conceded nine goals in the process, with their only clean sheet coming in a 1-0 win over Manchester United.

With Harvey Barnes and Jacob Murphy still sidelined, Howe doesn’t have a full pack, but the return of Wilson and Burn, in particular, is good news.            

Jimenez announces his arrival

Following the departure of Aleksandar Mitrovic to Saudi Arabia in the summer, Fulham fans and pundits alike wondered how the Cottagers would cope without their star striker.

Well, after a slowish start Silva’s team has suddenly burst into life, winning three of their last four games and scoring 16 goals, with the only defeat being a 4-3 loss to league leaders Liverpool.

The catalyst for this upturn in goal-scoring form has been the dominant displays of centre forward Raul Jimenez. His brilliant trademark header midway through the first half set the Cottagers on their way to a stunning 5-0 win against a top seven chasing West Ham.

The Mexican looks to be in his best form since the horrific head injury which almost ended his career at Wolves three years ago. He scored a brace in the 5-0 mauling of Nottingham Forest last week, and the recruitment of Jimenez at relatively low cost looks to be a masterstroke.

Fulham’s other creative players are thriving around Jimenez, who are always a handful. Alex Iwobi, another player in top form, scored twice against Nottingham Forest, while the influential Willian and Harry Wilson were both on target against the Hammers.     

Battering Nottingham Forest was an eye-catching result, but West Ham are a different prospect altogether. And to hit David Moyes’ side for five really made people sit up and take notice.

This team is full of goals but, while Jimenez is grabbing the headlines, the work of midfield general Joao Palhinha never goes unnoticed, and Silva will be keen to keep him beyond the January window.

History

The Cottagers have had the better of the head-to-heads with 14 wins to 11, though the Magpies have won the last three, including a 1-0 home win at the start of this year.

With three wins and three defeats from their last six games, Fulham have been slightly stronger than Newcastle who have won two, drawn one, and lost three.

However, recent momentum is definitely in Fulham’s favour.     

Betting Tip

The Geordies are at SBOTOP odds of 1.81 to win this match with the draw at 3.23 and a Fulham win at 3.62.

Newcastle have a huge Champions League clash against AC Milan on Wednesday, while the Cottagers have a week to prepare, and that may work in Silva’s favour.

Either way, I will be astonished if we don’t see plenty of goals in this one.      

 

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