Fulham vs Bournemouth

Craven Cottage sets the stage for a mid-table Premier League encounter between Fulham and Bournemouth.

Stuck just inside the bottom half of the table, Fulham spurned a golden chance to post their first Premier League win of 2024, wasting a two-goal lead in last weekend’s gut-wrenching 2-2 home draw against Burnley. Back-to-back league stalemates after a dismal FA Cup elimination to Newcastle United threw Fulham’s form into disarray, making it six winless matches across all competitions (D3, L3). The impending return to Craven Cottage should offer under-pressure manager Marco Silva some respite as his men have won four of their last six top-flight home games (D1, L1), overcoming Arsenal and West Ham, among others. However, that doesn’t mean they can take anything for granted against a Bournemouth side they’ve failed to win against across all four home H2Hs in the 21st century (D2, L2).

An outstanding record in West London is perhaps the only consolation for visiting Bournemouth after a 1-1 home draw against Nottingham Forest last time out condemned them to a fourth consecutive Premier League outing without a win (D2, L2). Like their hosts, the ‘Cherries’ have ground to cover on the upper half of the table, though departing for London doesn’t bode well as they’ve gone winless in their last two Premier League games in the capital (D1, L1). But a 3-1 defeat at Tottenham Hotspur on New Year’s Eve remains Bournemouth’s only loss in six top-flight travels since early November (W4, D1), reinforcing their bid to get into the win column in the Premier League for the first time since 2024.