Aston Villa travel to Fulham on Thursday evening with head coach Steven Gerrard under increasing pressure following a disappointing start to the season.

The former Rangers boss oversaw a 2-0 defeat at home to Chelsea on Sunday and although a four-match unbeaten run preceded that, fans have been unhappy with the team's lack of creativity.

The Midlanders will be keen to get back to winning ways on Thursday against promoted Fulham, who have so far enjoyed a strong return to the Premier League.

However, Marco Silva's men have not won any of their last three games and will hope to change that record when Villa visit Craven Cottage.

Team news

Fulham have no new injury concerns heading into the match, with a number of players expected to remain out for the long term.

Summer signings Manor Solomon and Layvin Kurzawa are out with knee and calf problems respectively, while midfielder Nathaniel Chalobah is serving the last of a three-game ban following his red card against Newcastle earlier this month.

For Villa, Diego Carlos and Boubacar Kamara will be out for the foreseeable future with Achilles and calf problems respectively, while left-back duo Lucas Digne and Ludwig Augustinsson will have to wait until the end of the month for their comebacks.

Tyrone Mings picked up a minor ankle injury in the closing stages of the Chelsea game but should be fit to play, while creative duo Emi Buendia and Philippe Coutinho are pushing for recalls.

The stats

If Fulham are to steer away from any relegation battle then their home form is likely to prove crucial and they have been solid enough so far on their own turf.

The Cottagers have lost just one game at home from five so far this season and in doing so, have earned two-thirds of their points at Craven Cottage.

Games involving Fulham tend to have goals — Marco Silva's men have had no problem putting the ball in the back of the net, with 16 in 10 games so far, more than Chelsea and Manchester United.

However, they have been porous recently, letting nine past them in the last three games.

Villa though are struggling for goals, scoring just seven times so far — Wolves being the only team to have a more toothless attack in the top flight.

Gerrard is chopping and changing his attacking line up but to no avail and Villa need to change their fortunes on the road after picking up just two points from five games.

Prediction

Fulham score plenty but concede too, so Villa can be comforted by the fact they are likely to be offered chances in this contest.

The Cottagers' defence is rickety, but in Aleksandar Mitrovic they have one of the most feared marksmen in the Premier League right now.

The Serbian could have a big effect on this game and Fulham's extra goalscoring touch means they should edge proceedings, with the home win and both teams to score available at 15/4 with LiveScore Bet.