Fulham vs Aston Villa predictions: Goals look likely at Craven Cottage
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- Over 3.5 goals has landed in two of Fulham's last three games
- Aston Villa are yet to be defeated on the road in 2024-25
- Recommended bet: Over 3.5 goals
Fulham have earned plaudits for their strong start to the season and return from the international break sitting eighth in the standings, with fifth-placed Aston Villa next up on Saturday.
The Cottagers beat Newcastle and Nottingham Forest before running Manchester City close at the Etihad.
Villa are unbeaten in eight in all competitions and will be determined to maintain that record ahead of their Champions League game against Bologna on Tuesday.
Both sides are protecting strong records this season and it promises to be an entertaining clash at Craven Cottage.
Team news
As always, injury concerns loom large after the international break, with players returning as the week goes on but Fulham look to be relatively unscathed.
Carlos Vinicius and Jorge Cuenca are both working their way back from foot injuries and Alex Iwobi and Calvin Bassey could be touch-and-go after travelling back from representing Nigeria.
For Villa, England's Ezri Konsa and Belgium's Amadou Onana both withdrew from international duty, while Jacob Ramsey is out with a groin issue and Jaden Philogene is battling a knock.
Tyrone Mings and Boubacar Kamara, both recovering from ACL injuries, have returned to training but will not be fit.
The stats
Fulham are unbeaten at home this season (W2, D1), while Villa are also yet to be defeated on the road in all competitions (W4, D1).
Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins has scored four goals and provided two assists in the Premier League this season, while Cottagers' top scorer Raul Jimenez has scored three times and given up another assist.
New signing Emile Smith Rowe has also scored twice and provided an assist, while Villa's Onana has netted twice in the league – both away from home.
Aston Villa have won the last three league meetings, most recently triumphing 2-1 at Craven Cottage in February, with Watkins scoring both goals. However, Fulham have never lost consecutive home league fixtures against the Villans.
Prediction
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Unai Emery celebrates his second anniversary as Villa manager on Thursday, October 24 and his side have been generally flawless since he took over two years ago.
The Spaniard is an expert at coming out of international breaks, assessing his players and selecting the right team for the first game back in the league with an eye on what will work in the following week's European fixture.
Fulham's start to the campaign hints at a chance that Marco Silva might also have the opportunity to encounter that dilemma next season.
Winning at home will be vital to Fulham's chances of cementing a top-half finish and potentially pushing towards continental qualification.
The Cottagers are unbeaten at home in 2024-25 and recorded a decent nine home wins at the Cottage last term.
Interestingly, both teams have scored in each of their trio of home outings and goals could be the answer in this game.
Over 3.5 goals has landed in two of Fulham's last three matches and three of Villa's last four in the league.
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