Fulham play host to London rivals Queens Park Rangers on Saturday afternoon looking to retain their place in the top six of the Championship standings.
The home side hold just a two-point advantage over the Hoops, who make the short trip to Craven Cottage on the back of two successive wins.
Match preview
© Reuters
The Football Association decided during the international break that Fulham's 4-1 defeat at Coventry City was partly a consequence of Sky Blues forward Matt Godden cheating to earn a penalty.
However, despite that goal giving Coventry a 2-1 lead and plenty of momentum, Fulham head coach Marco Silva will still be concerned by how his team continued to capitulate after previously holding a half-time advantage.
The Portuguese will feel somewhat relieved that the Cottagers still sit in fifth position after three defeats in six matches, but he will recognise that they need to improve and fast.
Goals are not a problem for this team, the likes of Aleksandar Mitrovic and Harry Wilson having 13 strikes and six assists between them since the start of August.
Nevertheless, Fulham's last league clean sheet came at the end of August, and Silva knows that the wait for another shutout cannot be prolonged if they want to remain in touch with the top two.
© Reuters
That especially rings true ahead of a game against a fellow promotion rival with QPR having overturned their poor run of form with back-to-back victories.
After blowing a lead at West Bromwich Albion, QPR have responded with success against Birmingham City and Preston North End at the Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium.
While things have not always gone swimmingly for his side this season, Mark Warburton will be satisfied that QPR are back in the playoff places at this stage of the season.
There will be a call to approach this game in isolation, but this rejuvenated squad will recognise the significance of landing another blow on their neighbours on away territory.
On the back of two crucial strikes for his country, Scotland international Lyndon Dykes has now contributed a goal or assist on his last four outings.
- L
- W
- L
- D
- W
- L
- W
- L
- D
- D
- W
- L
- D
- L
- L
- L
- W
- W
- L
- L
- D
- L
- W
- W
Team News
© Reuters
Silva will almost certainly make numerous changes to his Fulham XI, handing recalls to the likes of Tosin Adarabioyo and Ivan Cavaleiro.
Joe Bryan could also replace Antonee Robinson with the latter having represented the United States on Wednesday night.
Jean-Michael Seri may get the nod over Josh Onomah in the centre of midfield.
Sam McCullum could return for QPR at left-back, providing that he has fully recovered from the hamstring injury that he sustained in September.
Charlie Austin is competing with Andre Gray for a place alongside Dykes, while Jordy de Wijs may get the nod over Jimmy Dunne.
Fulham possible starting lineup:
Gazzaniga; Odoi, Mawson, Adarabioyo, Bryan; Seri, Reed; Wilson, Decordova-Reid, Cavaleiro; Mitrovic
Queens Park Rangers possible starting lineup:
Dieng; Dickie, De Wijs, Barbet; Odubajo, Ball, Johansen, McCullum; Chair; Dykes, Austin
We say: Fulham 2-1 Queens Park Rangers
With Fulham having more players away on international duty, it remains to be seen whether their energy levels will be high enough to cope with a London derby. Nevertheless, they possess extra quality at both ends of the pitch, and we are backing a narrow triumph for the Cottagers.
Top tip
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Fulham win with a probability of 51.05%. A draw had a probability of 25.2% and a win for Queens Park Rangers had a probability of 23.72%.
The most likely scoreline for a Fulham win was 1-0 with a probability of 12.11%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-0 (9.56%) and 2-1 (9.45%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (11.98%), while for a Queens Park Rangers win it was 0-1 (7.59%). The actual scoreline of 4-1 was predicted with a 2% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted that Fulham would win this match.
