It hasn’t been a wonderful couple of weeks, has it? I’ve seen on Twitter that our former CEO set up a Twitter account and released an angry letter for everyone to see, complaining a lot about the new CEO or President of Operations, I’m not sure these days.
Okay, that may not be the former CEO, but it seems like if someone truly loved the Club, they wouldn’t be spreading it on Twitter; it’s not what we need. But it’s done now, and I’ll reiterate what I said on Twitter: I trust the owners, and Chris Heck is new, and new people want new things.
And should be regarded as an undesirable distraction, hopefully quickly forgotten. You see, the past few weeks haven’t been ideal due to outcomes. We were lethargic and off the pace against Chelsea, but we were extremely unlucky to lose to Manchester United.
And it’s not only the outcomes; we’re losing guys on a consistent basis right now. Kamara is gone for the season, and Carlos will be sidelined for a few weeks due to a hamstring injury sustained during training. Torres and Digne are back, and while I enjoy Moreno, Digne delivers.
And we are not the only team that has suffered from injuries; it is what we do with the players we have that counts, and I believe our group is good enough to compete, and I am confident that they will create and give their all. However, it would be good to have some luck on our side for once.
All that being said, this is a vital contest. I don’t need to explain why; we all know, and I believe there will be a group of individuals tomorrow who know as much, if not more, than us. It’s all about the 90 minutes tomorrow, and perhaps the outcomes elsewhere.
I’ll come back with a bottle of red.
Match facts from the BBC.
Head-to-head
Fulham has won six of their last seven home games against Aston Villa in all competitions, while losing the other.
However, Villa have won four of the last five Premier League encounters, with the exception of a 3-0 setback at Craven Cottage last season, which culminated in Steven Gerrard’s dismissal as manager.
Fulham
Fulham are unbeaten in three Premier League games, having won one and drawn two.
The Cottagers have won five of their last seven home league games (one draw and one loss), scoring 18 goals in the process.
Marco Silva’s side has faced 46 shots in their last two home games, 21 against Everton and 25 against Bournemouth, accounting for one-third of their total this season at Craven Cottage.
Rodrigo Muniz has three goals in his previous two Premier League games after going scoreless in his first ten appearances.
Armando Broja has only scored once in his last 21 Premier League outings, and that came in Chelsea’s 2-0 win at Craven Cottage in October.
Aston Villa
Aston Villa have lost three of their last four games across all competitions, while winning the other.
However, they have gone unbeaten in four away games, winning two and drawing two.
Villa might lose consecutive Premier League games for the first time since May 2023.
The Villans have won their last nine Premier League games against London teams, including three trips to the capital this season.
Unai Emery will lead Aston Villa in his 50th league game; in the previous 49, he has won 29, drew eight, and lost 12.
Ollie Watkins has scored in five of his previous six top-flight games in London.
Emiliano Martinez is about to make his 200th English league appearance.
