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Kiwi midfielder Matt Dibley-Dias signs pro football contract for English club Fulham

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New Zealand-born midfielder Matt Dibley-Dias, 17, has signed a professional football contract for English Championship club Fulham.

New Zealand-born midfielder Matt Dibley-Dias has signed his first professional football contract for leading English second tier club Fulham.

The 17-year-old –described by a Fulham official has having "the skill of a Brazilian and the strength of a New Zealand rugby player'' – has secured a three-year deal with the west London club.

Lower Hutt-born Dibley-Dias is eligible to represent four countries – New Zealand, Brazil, Portugal and England.

His profile on Fulham's website says the central midfielder "chose his international allegiance as Brazil at the start of the 2021-22 season''.

His grandfather Manoel José Dias (dubbed Manoelzinho) averaged a goal every two games for leading Brazilian clubs Flamengo and Corinthians in the 1960s.

While Dibley-Dias has said "the dream is to play for the Brazilian national team'' is his ultimate goal, his immediate future is with Fulham.

"I'm really pleased to extend my stay at the club,'' he told Fulham's website. "I've enjoyed my time here so far and have worked hard so I'm grateful to continue this journey.

"I think this is the best place for me to improve as a player and further my career as a footballer."

He scored four goals in 19 games for Fulham's under-18 team last season and earned a reputation for pinpoint freekicks, scoring three times from the set piece.

Fulham's development manager Huw Jennings said on the club website last April that Dibley-Dias "has the skill of a Brazilian and the strength of a New Zealand rugby player''.

He said the Kiwi could "play in all positions along that [midfield] line''.

"When he came to us as an attacking midfielder, he was adept as creating and scoring goals. What he's added to his game is the defensive side."

After Dibley-Dias' signing this week, Jennings said the teen was "an intelligent midfielder who has had his challenges with injury, but he's got great potential and will hopefully be back soon supporting our 18s and 23s.''

Fulham were relegated from the English Premier League last season and are currently fourth in the Championship and one of the favourites for promotion.

The Craven Cottage club already has an antipodean midfielder on its books. Australia's Tyrese Francois, 21, made his EPL debut for Fulham last season.



https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/football/world-game/126516480/kiwi-midfielder-matt-dibleydias-signs-pro-football-contract-for-english-club-fulham

Where 2020/21 Plymouth Argyle loan trio Woods, Opoku and Watts are now

Sam Woods spent the final three months of last season with the Pilgrims from Crystal Palace

Former Plymouth Argyle loan signing Sam Woods is on trial with League One club Sheffield Wednesday.

The 23-year-old joined the Pilgrims from Crystal Palace at the end of January and went on to make a total of five starts and four substitute appearances.

He scored once, in the 1-0 Good Friday victory over AFC Wimbledon at Home Park in April.

Woods played his last game for Argyle in the 3-1 defeat at Oxford United later that month, missing the last two matches of the season due to a hamstring injury.

The defender was released by Palace in the summer and had been without a club until going to Wednesday on trial.

He played for the Owls' under-23s in their 1-1 draw away to Coventry City in the Professional Development League on Monday.

Woods lined up in central defence for Argyle against Oxford at the Kassam Stadium with Jerome Opoku, who was on loan from Fulham.

Opoku is now at bottom-of-the-table Danish Superliga club Vejle on a season-long loan from Fulham.

The 22-year-old has started six of their 10 league games, including the 4-2 home defeat by Silkeborg, leaving them on two points for the campaign.

Another defender on loan to Argyle last season was Newcastle United academy product Kell Watts.

He is now on a season-long loan to League One leaders Wigan Athletic and has started seven of their eight games, including the 2-0 home victory over Cheltenham Town on Saturday.



https://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/sport/football/plymouth-argyle-woods-opoku-watts-5979876

Meet the opposition | Fulham

As Swansea City get set to head to Craven Cottage to take on Fulham, we take a closer look at the Cottagers.

What's their story?

London's oldest club, Fulham spent 13 consecutive seasons in the Premier League from 2001 until 2014, which saw them become an established top-flight team.

Under the guidance of Roy Hodgson, they reached their highest-ever league placing with seventh during the 2008-09 season, and reached the Europa League final in 2010 only to be defeated 2-1 by Atletico Madrid in Hamburg.

A turbulent campaign saw Fulham relegated at the end of the 2013-14 season; and their two returns to the top-flight since have ended in immediate relegation with them now once again back in the Championship.

How's their form?

Inconsistent after a superb start. Fulham hit the ground running on their return to the second tier, dropping just two points from the first 15 available.

They secured convincing wins over Huddersfield, Birmingham and Stoke, but have since suffered defeat to Blackpool and Reading.

They played out a draw against Bristol City at the weekend, with a failure to convert chances proving costly at Ashton Gate.

Who's the boss?

Marco Silva. The Portuguese is back in football having taken a break following his departure from Everton in December of 2019.

A defender during his playing days, the now 44-year-old started his managerial career by guiding second-tier Estoril to the title and a top-flight return after a seven-year absensce.

Stints with Sporting Lisbon - where he won the Portuguese Cup - and Olympiacos - where the league title was secured - followed before he made the move to English football with Hull in January 2017.

Their impressive home form nearly saw him guide the Tigers to safety, but they were relegated and he departed to take over at Watford.

He made a fine start to life at Vicarage Road before an alarming loss of form saw him depart and he subsequently joined Everton in the summer of 2018.

Who's the captain?

Tim Ream. Tom Cairney has been Fulham's club captain over recent seasons, but the midfielder is currently sidelined by a knee injury.

That has seen American defender Ream take the armband, with the 33-year-old having been with the Cottagers since 2015.

He has made over 200 appearances since and was a key part of their promotion campaigns in 2018 and 2020.

He started his career in his homeland with Chicago Fire and New York Red Bulls, before joining Bolton in 2012.

Who are the key men?

Aleksandar Mitrovic has been a devastating goalscorer at Championship level during his time with the Cottagers.

The Serbian has scored 45 goals in 66 appearances for them in the second tier, and already has seven goals in nine league outings this term.

Summer signing Harry Wilson has enjoyed a fine start to life in Fulham colours with three goals to his name already.

Elsewhere, they have the experience of Ream and Dennis Odoi to call on at the back, while Harrison Reed, Nathaniel Chalobah and Josh Onomah offer no shortage of quality or work-rate in the middle of the park.



https://www.swanseacity.com/news/meet-opposition-fulham-1

EFL pundit outlines clear prediction ahead of Fulham's clash with Swansea City

Sky Sports EFL pundit David Prutton has suggested that Fulham will be able to get back on track and should prove too strong for Swansea City at Craven Cottage.

Fulham head into the game aiming to get back to winning ways after they were held to a 1-1 draw at Bristol City on Saturday. That result came after Marco Silva's side suffered a 2-1 loss against Reading in their last outing at Craven Cottage.

Those results have seen Fulham drop out of top two places in the Championship. They need to rediscover the sort of form in the attacking third that allowed them to put four past Birmingham City side a few weeks ago.

These are the types of games that Fulham will need to be securing all three points from if they are going to be able to clinch automatic promotion from the Championship this season.

Swansea City, meanwhile, have been boosted by them achieving a vital 1-0 win against Huddersfield Town on Saturday to end a four-match winless run in the Championship.

Russell Martin's side need to start picking up three points more consistently now with that win against Huddersfield just their second of the season in the league.

The Swans have managed to keep clean sheets in three of their last four Championship games and that is providing a solid foundation for them to try and build on over the coming weeks.

Making his latest round of Championship predictions for Sky Sports, Prutton suggested that Fulham should be too strong for Swansea here despite having suffered a loss in form and a dip in performances recently.

He wrote: "Fulham have just slipped a little in recent games in terms of results, and have at times looked a little less than the sum of their parts. It just proves how tough this league is, considering there was early talk of how they may well have run away with it.

"Swansea got back to winning ways on Saturday with a narrow victory over Huddersfield. It will have done Russell Martin the world of good in what is surely a season of consolidation for them, but I think Fulham will have too much at Craven Cottage."

The verdict

This is a crucial match in the context of Fulham's campaign. They have to start picking up wins again.

A meeting against a side that have not started the campaign in excellent form represents a real chance for them to get back on track.

Silva is going to come under pressure if Fulham continue to struggle against teams that they should be beating given the quality that is within their squad this season.

Therefore, they need to deliver an improved performance to ensure that they do not slip up as they have against Bristol City and Reading.

Swansea are starting to become a difficult side to beat under Martin and clean sheets are a real foundation for them to build from.

You get the sense that more is to come from them in terms of being an attacking threat, but for this game the Swans will have to focus more on frustrating Fulham.

The longer that Swansea stay in the game, the more chances that they will have of taking something back to Wales with them.



https://footballleagueworld.co.uk/efl-pundit-outlines-clear-prediction-ahead-of-fulhams-clash-with-swansea-city/

2 tweaks Marco Silva could make to the Fulham XI to face Swansea City tomorrow

Fulham will be determined to get back to winning ways in the Championship tomorrow when they host Swansea City at Craven Cottage.

Marco Silva's side were forced to settle for a point in their clash with Bristol City last weekend as Aleksandar Mitrovic's header was cancelled out by Kasey Palmer's late strike.

As a result of this draw, Fulham lost ground on league leaders AFC Bournemouth.

Currently four points behind the Cherries, the Cottagers will determined to close this particular gap by sealing victory in-front of their own supporters on Wednesday.

Whilst Fulham did show glimpses of promise against the Robins, Silva may decide to make some alterations to his team for tomorrow's showdown.

Here, we take a look at TWO tweaks that the Fulham manager could make to his starting eleven...

Ivan Cavaleiro is given the chance to impress
After being utilised as a substitute by Silva in last Saturday's meeting with the Robins, Ivan Cavaleiro may be given the opportunity to showcase his talent tomorrow.

Certainly no stranger to life in the Championship, the winger knows exactly what it takes to thrive at this level as he has provided 46 direct goal contributions in 126 games in this division.

Particularly impressive during Fulham's 5-1 victory over Huddersfield Town last month, Cavaleiro managed to net a brace at the John Smith's Stadium as he registered a WhoScored match rating of 8.11.

If the winger is able to replicate this display against Swansea, he could help his side get back on track in the second-tier.

Harrison Reed returns to Fulham's starting eleven
After missing Fulham's defeat to Reading earlier this month due to a minor injury, Harrison Reed made his return to league action against the Robins as he was introduced as a substitute in the second-half of this fixture.

If Silva is looking to freshen up his options in the heart of midfield, Reed may be handed the opportunity to make his second Championship start of the season.

Particularly impressive against Birmingham City last month, the midfielder completed 29 passes and provided two accurate crosses as he registered a WhoScored match rating of 6.80.

By producing an encouraging display against Swansea, Reed may potentially force the likes of Nathaniel Chalobah and Jean Michael Seri to step up their performance levels which could have a positive impact on Fulham's fortunes in the Championship.



https://footballleagueworld.co.uk/2-tweaks-marco-silva-could-make-to-the-fulham-xi-to-face-swansea-city-tomorrow/

Olivier Ntcham starts: The predicted Swansea City XI to face Fulham tomorrow night

Swansea City earned an impressive 1-0 win over Huddersfield Town last time out, the Swans limited the Terriers to precious little in front of goal and will be looking to build on that result at Craven Cottage on Wednesday evening.

Russell Martin's methods seem to be getting through and with Joel Piroe hitting the ground running in English football the way he has, Swansea will have lofty ambitions for the project in the next year or two.

The central midfield partnership of Flynn Downes and Matt Grimes is growing with every game and they hold the key for the Swans with their possession based style of play.

We are predicting an unchanged side to take on Fulham on Wednesday evening.

Olivier Ntcham is the main concern on whether he can handle the quick turnaround physically but outside of the Frenchman all involved at the weekend should keep their place.


The backline restricted Huddersfield to just 0.17 expected goals at the weekend and Martin will likely stick with them.

The ball playing ability of Ryan Manning and specialist full back Kyle Naughton in the centre pf the three means the Swans will be very comfortable in possession irrespective of the area of the pitch they are in.

Fulham will be a huge test but Swans supporters have reasons to be feeling optimistic.



https://footballleagueworld.co.uk/olivier-ntcham-starts-the-predicted-swansea-city-xi-to-face-fulham-tomorrow-night/

Pay on the day at Fulham

Swansea City supporters will be able to pay on the day for Wednesday's Championship clash with Fulham at Craven Cottage.

Advance tickets will be available until 3pm today, but any fans who do not purchase a ticket by that time will need to buy a ticket on matchday.

Advance tickets can be purchased online HERE.

Matchday tickets can be purchased from the Craven Cottage ticket office, but supporters are advised that only cash will be accepted.

There is also a £5 increase in matchday prices, which means they will be as follows:

Adults - £30

65 & Over – £25

18-21 Years – £25

17 Years & Under – £20                                     

Please note any under-14 tickets must be sold with an accompanying adult.

Jack Army members will be awarded three points for this fixture.



https://www.swanseacity.com/news/pay-day-fulham-0

Russell Martin | We will look to be bold

Russell Martin says Swansea City will be ready to be on the front foot and be bold when they take on Fulham on Wednesday night.

The Swans travel to Craven Cottage off the back of their 1-0 victory over Huddersfield, a win which marked their first at home in the league this season.

The high-flying Cottagers have gotten off to a strong start in their first campaign back in the Championship; they currently sit fourth in the table, scoring a league-leading 19 goals in the process.

But Martin, whose men have put together a joint-best five clean sheets this season, insists his side will not be looking to shut up shop against Fulham's attacking talents.

"It will be an interesting match," said the head coach. "Hopefully we can continue our defensive record, limit them to as little as possible.

"But we're not going there to just do that, we're going there to impose our own game, and try to play the way we want to play.

"That's the next test for this group, trying to do that wherever we go.

"It's going to be interesting."

Wednesday's game will be see over a thousand Swans fans in attendance at Craven Cottage, and Martin hopes his side can put on a good show for those making the journey.

"It's a good stadium, great atmosphere," admitted Martin. "So bringing that many away fans doesn't surprise me. The people travelling with us have been incredible.

"It'll be interesting; there's a new stand there, as well, I haven't played there since that's been done, so it should be a really good atmosphere.

"It'll be on TV, as well, which should energise the boys for sure. They'll really be looking forward to that.

"Hopefully we can go out there and show everyone how good we can be."



https://www.swanseacity.com/news/russell-martin-we-will-look-be-bold

Kebano starts: The predicted Fulham XI to face Swansea tomorrow night

Fulham take on Swansea City tomorrow evening in the Sky Bet Championship as they aim to get back to winning ways after a brief dip in form.

The Cottagers have seen frustration grow in their last two games with them having nearly 50 shots at goal over the two matches against Reading and Bristol City but showing just one point for their efforts.

Fulham fans will be eager for that to change this midweek round of fixtures, then, and here we're taking a look at the potential XI Silva could name against the Swans at the Cottage:


Silva may look to freshen the side up where he can with the games coming thick and fast before October's international break.

The only injury he really has remains Fabio Carvalho's and so he has a good squad to pick from to try and get back to winning ways.

Indeed, we might therefore see the likes of Harrison Reed and Neeskens Kebano come back into the fold, in a bid to help put the Swans away.

Of course, Fulham aren't necessarily playing badly, they just need to be more clinical, and so Silva will also want to avoid going the other way and making too many changes.

Whatever side he names will be a strong one, though, and we'll just have to see how his charges get on.



https://footballleagueworld.co.uk/kebano-starts-the-predicted-fulham-xi-to-face-swansea-tomorrow-night/

England 1966 team now: Where are World Cup winners who beat West Germany?

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Following the tragic news of Roger Hunt's death, we reflect on the heroes who brought football home in 1966.

Liverpool announced on Tuesday that the former striker, who was key to both their success and that of England in the Sixties, had passed away at the age of 83.

Hunt scored three goals in helping England get out of their group at the 1966 finals, and played in every game such was his importance to Sir Alf Ramsey's team.

England's 1966 World Cup Final win against West Germany remains the pinnacle of footballing achievement in the country.

Here's what happened to England's 1966 World Cup heroes after the final...

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Hulton Archive/Getty Images

1 Gordon Banks | 1937 - 2019

Went on to win 73 England caps and make 628 club appearances in a 15-year career. Still famed for his stunning save from Pele's header in England's 1970 World Cup clash with Brazil. Helped Stoke to the 1972 League Cup though lost the sight in one eye in a car crash in October later that same year, that ultimately ended his professional career. Enjoyed a brief managerial stint with Telford United.

2 George Cohen | 1939 - present

Fulham defender Cohen was forced to retire through injury aged 29, having amassed 459 appearances for the Craven Cottage club. Cohen struggled with bowel cancer for 14 years in the 1980s. He later opted to sell his World Cup winner's medal, though Fulham purchased the item to display it at Craven Cottage. Nephew Ben Cohen helped England win the Rugby World Cup in 2003. Awarded the MBE in 2000.

3 Ray Wilson | 1934 - 2018

England's left-back kept the lowest profile of the 1966 winners. Wilson built a successful undertaker's business in Huddersfield after his football career, but retired from his second career in 1997.

4 Nobby Stiles | 1942 - 2020

Midfielder Stiles ended up with 28 England caps but went on to rack up 392 appearances for Manchester United before a move to Middlesbrough in 1971. A career in coaching followed, with two stints at Preston, before a short-lived tenure at West Brom. Stiles worked as a youth team coach at Manchester United between 1989 and 1993, helping oversee the development of the renowned class of '92 that included the likes of David Beckham and the Neville brothers. His family have revealed he has been suffering from dementia for several years and in October 2020 passed away.

5 Jack Charlton | 1935 - 2020

Made 629 appearances for Leeds and collected 35 England caps, before turning attention to a successful managerial career. After stints with Middlesbrough, Sheffield Wednesday and Newcastle, Charlton stepped up to lead the Republic of Ireland. Against the odds, he led them to the Euros in 1988, the last eight of Italia 90 and then last 16 of the 1994 World. Appointed an OBE in 1974 and awarded honorary Irish citizenship in 1996, being made a freeman of the city of Dublin in 1994. He died in July 2020 after battling lymphoma and later dementia.

6 Bobby Moore | 1941 - 1993

Widely accepted as England's greatest centre-half and one of the best anywhere of all time, the World Cup-winning captain died from bowel and liver cancer in February 1993, aged 51. Won 108 caps for England, representing West Ham with distinction, before enjoying spells at Fulham and in America. Moore's widow Stephanie founded the Bobby Moore Fund in 1993, to raise money for research into bowel cancer and raise public awareness of the disease. His statue stands outside the new Wembley to commemorate England's greatest ever day.

7 Alan Ball | 1945 - 2007

Ball - the youngest of the World Cup winners - died of a heart attack in April 2007, aged 61. The combative midfielder excelled in stints with Blackpool, Everton and Arsenal, while also winning 72 England caps. After more than 800 club appearances Ball then moved into management, twice taking charge at Portsmouth along with stints at Southampton and Manchester City.

9 Sir Bobby Charlton | 1937 - present

'Jack's younger brother Bobby continues to sit on Manchester United's board of directors, remaining a fixture at Old Trafford matches, and is a true global icon. The 81-year-old Ashington native racked up 106 England caps between 1958 and 1970 and was for decades England's leading goalscorer. He had an unsuccessful managerial stint at Preston before becoming a director at United in 1984. He was knighted in 1994. In November 2020, Sir Bobby's dementia diagnosis was confirmed by his wife.

16 Martin Peters | 1943 - 2019

Moved into the insurance business after retiring from professional football in 1981, following 67 England caps and lengthy stints with West Ham, Tottenham and Norwich. He was briefly manager of Sheffield United. Sat on Tottenham's board of directors in the late 1990s. Peters battled Alzheimer's disease in his later years.

10 Sir Geoff Hurst | 1941 - present

Still the only man to score a hat-trick in a World Cup final, Hurst made more than 400 appearances for West Ham and won 49 England caps. Short-lived managerial stints with Telford United, Chelsea and even a foray into club management in Kuwait punctuated work in the insurance trade after his playing career. He was knighted in 1998 and lives in Cheltenham.

21 Roger Hunt | 1938 - 2021

Liverpool stalwart Hunt made more than 400 appearances for the Anfield club, along with winning 34 caps for England. Held Liverpool's all-time scoring record until overhauled by Ian Rush, although he remains the leading League scorer. Joined his family's haulage business after retiring from football. The man, known as 'Sir Roger' by the adoring Reds fans, passed away on September 27, 2021 following a long illness.

Sir Alf Ramsey (Head Coach) | 1920 - 1999

The former Southampton and Tottenham full-back continued at the England helm until 1974, when failure to qualify for the finals in West Germany cost him his job. Stints at Birmingham and Panathinaikos (plus a caretaker stint at Melchester after Roy of the Rovers was shot in the best-selling comic) followed, before he spent his retirement in Ipswich. Ramsey died in April 1999 aged 79, less than a year after suffering a stroke, and after battling Alzheimer's disease and prostate cancer.

Les Cocker (trainer) | 1924 - 1979

Cocker represented Stockport County and Accrington Stanley as a striker during a 12-year playing career. After his retirement in 1958 he turned his hand to coaching with both Luton Town and Leeds United before being offered a role with England. He was Team Trainer in 1966 but was not awarded a medal - like the majority of the non-playing staff and reserves - until June 2009, posthumously.



https://www.standard.co.uk/sport/football/england-1966-world-cup-winners-now-nobby-stiles-charlton-roger-hunt-a4495456.html

Fulham youngster Carvalho still out injured

Fulham will be without Fabio Carvalho for the fifth match in a row when they face Swansea at Craven Cottage on Wednesday night.

The talented teenager is still struggling with a toe injury, while Tom Cairney and Terence Kongolo's long-term injuries rule them out.

Boss Marco Silva explained: "Tom is running outside on the pitch and improving his physical condition, but not involved in the training sessions, and we hope to integrate him better after the international break.

"If I can have Tom and Fabio available for this position (central midfield) we will be stronger, that's for sure."

The manager expects an open game against the Swans, as he bids to put the frustration of a 1-1 draw at Bristol City behind him.

Fulham should have scored at least one from three gilt-edged chances late in the game.

Silva said: "We need to be more ruthless, create chances and the goals will come.

"Swansea like to take risks, so it will be an open game and because they like to attack – we have plans of our own."

Meanwhile, Silva has demanded all players arrive for training despite the current fuel crisis.

"If they can't come in their own car they should find other solutions to arrive at the right time," he insisted.



https://www.westlondonsport.com/fulham/carvalho-still-sidelined-and-silva-gives-update-on-cairney

Russell Martin issues clear Swansea City message to Fulham ahead of clash at Craven Cottage

Russell Martin will not be backtracking on his side's bold style of play when they visit promotion favourites Fulham on Wednesday evening.

The former Scotland international was keen to point out the Swans' strong defence of late when he spoke to the club's website.

He said: "It will be an interesting match. Hopefully we can continue our defensive record, limit them to as little as possible.

"But we're not going there to just do that, we're going there to impose our own game, and try to play the way we want to play."

Wednesday will be the biggest test of the Martin era to date and should they come away with a positive result, the fan base will be whole-heartedly onside with the manager's progressive methods.

Swansea limited free-scoring Huddersfield Town to just 0.17 expected goals at the weekend, clearly a performance Martin wants them to emulate. It will be interesting to see how the back three of Ben Cabango, Kyle Naughton and Ryan Manning deal with the challenge of Aleksandar Mitrovic and company.

Many expected a tricky acclimatisation period for the players under Martin and the Swans seem to be coming out the other side of that knowing that a memorable win on Wednesday could lift them into the top half.

The Verdict

It was an excellent professional job on Saturday and Swansea are now firmly looking up the table rather than over their shoulders.

It cannot be overstated how crucial it was to keep Matt Grimes at the club beyond the transfer deadline and his relationship with summer signing Flynn Downes in central midfield could be where they build a surprise top six push.

With their passing style the Swans have been susceptible to a high press from their opponents at times this season and that might be something Marco Silva leans on at Craven Cottage. It is a mouth-watering encounter from a neutral perspective.



https://footballleagueworld.co.uk/russell-martin-issues-clear-swansea-city-message-to-fulham-ahead-of-clash-at-craven-cottage/

Talking Tactics | Fulham v Swansea City


After the morale boost of a 1-0 win over Huddersfield, attention turns to Swansea City's midweek trip to Fulham in a huge game in the Championship.

The Swans have a decent record at Craven Cottage, but know the scale of the challenge they face against big-spending promotion favourites.

Ahead of this clash, WhoScored.com preview the midweek action, including what to expect from Fulham, the key battle and a key stat.

What to expect from Fulham

Fulham head into the midweek round of games four points off top spot after being held to a 1-1 draw at Bristol City, this despite peppering the Robins' goal across the 90 minutes.

Nevertheless, the stalemate means the Cottagers have won just one of their last four league outings and have lost ground to some of their rivals.

However, we're unlikely to see a change in tactics from Marco Silva as his side look to get another three points on the board.

Fulham have earned a better WhoScored.com rating (6.92) than any other Championship team this season. The west London side will seek to dominate the ball, with their possession average of 61.1% the third best in the division and a pass success rate of 84.1% second only to the Swans (84.8%) in England's second tier.

Silva has favoured a 4-2-3-1 setup this term, with the duo of Jean Michael Seri and Josh Onomah shielding the backline and allowing for Fabio Carvalho to impress behind striker Aleksandar Mitrovic.

However, part of the reason for Fulham's recent downturn in form has been the absence of Carvalho, with the teenager set to miss the welcome of Swansea through injury.

Of the five games he has started, Fulham have won four but, in his absence, the west London side have won just one of four, with their goals scored per game dropping from 2.6 to 1.5, and goals conceded per game rising from 0.6 to 1.25.

That doesn't mean a guaranteed three points for the Swans at Craven Cottage, where they have, to be fair, won three of their last four games, but Carvalho's absence is a boost for Russell Martin's side.

Fulham rank top for key passes per game (14) in the Championship this season and with Carvalho among their chief creators, Silva will be hoping to see some key players step up and find a way through a Swansea rearguard that has kept five clean sheets this season.

Nevertheless, Fulham will seek to dominate possession on home turf and wait for their moment to strike as they seek to get their promotion push back on track.

Key battle

Winning the midfield battle at Craven Cottage will be key for Swansea in midweek.

Fortunately, Flynn Downes heads into the clash on the back of his best rated performance for the south Wales side. Indeed, Downes earned a WhoScored.com rating of 7.53 in Swansea's hard-fought 1-0 win over Huddersfield on Saturday and, with 55% of the vote, was named the fans' man of the match from the narrow victory having dominated in the middle of the park.

Dominating on the ball is a key trait to the 22-year-old's game and is a major reason why Swansea rank so high for possession and pass success rate in the Championship this season.

Indeed, Downes has developed a statistically calculated WhoScored.com strength of 'passing' and for good reason, too, as he ranks sixth for passes per game (70.7) and second for pass accuracy (92.7%) in the Championship at the time of writing.

Downes also boasts WhoScored.com strengths of 'ball interception' and 'tackling', so is as capable a performer off the ball as he is on it, and these additional qualities to his game need to be on show in order to ensure Fulham pass machine Jean Michael Seri is unable to dictate the tempo for Silva's side.

The Ivorian was a surprise signing back in 2018 yet, after loan stints with Galatasaray and Bordeaux, returned to Craven Cottage to become a mainstay.

Seri ranks third for passes per game (65.5) and first for pass success rate (89.9%) of all Fulham players in the Championship this season, and fourth in the division overall, to reinforce a WhoScored.com strength of 'passing', while an additional strength of 'dribbling' means he is able to carry the ball upfield to help shake off opposition pressure and open up angles for the attack to exploit.

Shutting him down is of the utmost importance if Swansea are to secure all the spoils this week.

Key stat

While Fulham were unable to get the better of Bristol City over the weekend, it wasn't for want of trying.

The Cottagers mustered 22 shots in the stalemate, nine of which were through Aleksandar Mitrovic, that a record in a Championship match at the time of writing.

To go with his goal, the Serb struck the woodwork twice in an unlucky afternoon for the striker.




https://www.swanseacity.com/news/talking-tactics-fulham-v-swansea-city-0

Marco Silva issues Fulham team news update ahead of Swansea City clash

Fulham return to Craven Cottage tomorrow evening to face Russell Martin's Swansea City.

The hosts, who have now picked up a mere four points from their last four games, started the season tremendously, accumulating 13 points from a possible 15.

Marco Silva's side now sit in fourth place and are four points from Bournemouth at the Championship summit, however, they are still the division's top scorers with 19 goals to their name.

The Cottagers face a Swansea side on Wednesday night who will travel with confidence.

The Swans are now unbeaten in their last four, coming back spectacularly to share with the points on their last away trip, before defeating Huddersfield Town by one goal to nil, in what was a relatively dominant display from the South Wales outfit.

Speaking to the media, and as reported by Peter Rutzler of the Athletic, Silva addressed the injuries of Tom Cairney and Fabio Carvalho: "Cairney still out.

"I'm seeing some progress, he's running on the pitch, but not involved with the team yet. Carvalho started with the team again this week. "But not fully fit to be involved yet."

The verdict

Cairney has proven to be such an influential player for The Cottagers across the years, whilst Carvalho has perhaps been the standout young player in the division thus far.

Both players bring something completely different back into the side, and the sooner that they are back fit, the better for Silva and his Fulham side.

The young attacker is exceptionally gifted, and prior to this setback, he was on course for enjoying an excellent campaign with goals and assists. This is something that is not likely to change and they will be hopeful of keeping him beyond January, with interest mounting for Carvalho.



https://footballleagueworld.co.uk/marco-silva-issues-fulham-team-news-update-ahead-of-swansea-city-clash/

Carvalho to miss Swansea clash

Teenage playmaker Fabio Carvalho will miss Fulham's midweek meeting with Swansea City as he is still recovering from a fractured toe.

The England youth international, who has three goals and an assist in his five Championship appearances so far this season, hasn't featured since being substituted against Stoke in August. Fulham head coach Marco Silva revealed that Carvalho has resumed training but will not be ready for the visit of the Swans to Craven Cottage tomorrow night.

The Portuguese head coach has had to adjust his formation slightly in Carvalho's absence, with captain Tom Cairney also sidelined with a long-term knee injury. Silva told FFC TV this afternoon:

"We have two situations with Tom Cairney and Fabio Carvalho. Tom has started running on the pitch. I am seeing him every single day and, even if he is not involved with the team, he is already progressing. Fabio started this week with the team. He is getting fitter every day and, of course, soon we can see him in the squad."



https://hammyend.com/index.php/2021/09/carvalho-to-miss-swansea-clash/

Pre-Swansea Press Conference

Wednesday night will see Fulham host a Swansea City side who are beginning to build some momentum, according to Marco Silva.

After a tough start, the Swans are now unbeaten in four games, keeping clean sheets in three of them.

"They're a good side and are getting better," Silva said in his pre-match press conference. "They're playing with a lot of confidence now and are getting the results as well.

"A team that likes to play good football, like to take some risks with their style of play, I'm sure they'll come here and it will be, in my opinion, an open game.

"They like to attack, they like to start from the back, it's clear the way they want to play.

"They try to press the opponent as well, and I think we will see a good game, with both teams trying to win the match.

"It will have to be a Fulham team playing at its best level to win the football match. That's what we want, and we want to achieve a different result to our last game at home."

Swansea too had a managerial change this summer, and Silva believes they are now starting to buy into Russell Martin's philosophy.

"It will be the first time we've faced each other," he stated. "They started a little bit later as well, he arrived late before the season, but now you start to see some of his ideas there, what he's tried to do, what he's trying to build.

"It will be a tough game for sure, [but] we're playing at home with our fans behind us, we have to be stronger than them and we have to achieve the result we want."



https://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2021/september/Pre-Swansea-Press-Conference/

Marco Silva identifies key area that Fulham need to address ahead of Swansea City clash

Fulham manager Marco Silva has admitted that his players will need to improve their finishing if the club are to return to winning ways in their clash with Swansea City tomorrow.

The Cottagers were denied by the woodwork during their clash with Bristol City last weekend as they were forced to settle for a draw at Ashton Gate.

Whilst Fulham have scored the most goals in the Championship this season (19), they are currently four points adrift of league leaders AFC Bournemouth.

Aleksandar Mitrovic has been one of the club's stand-out performers during the current term as he has managed to find the back of the net on seven occasions.

The Serbian will be keen to add to this particular tally in the club's showdown with Swansea at Craven Cottage on Wednesday.

Fulham will move above Coventry City in the Championship standings if they beat the Jacks and Mark Robins' side slip-up against Luton Town.

Making reference to his side ahead of tomorrow's clash, Silva has insisted that his players need to be more ruthless in-front of goal.

Speaking in his pre-match press conference for the Swansea game (as cited by The Athletic journalist Peter Rutzler), the Fulham boss said: "When you are dominating and creating, you have to be more ruthless.

"We've hit the bar six times in 180 minutes.

"We need to keep working and keep creating chances.

"It's up to us to finish better.

"With more composure and calm."

The Verdict

When you consider that Fulham currently have the likes of Mitrovic and Harry Wilson at their disposal, it wouldn't be at all surprising if they end up setting the Championship alight in the coming months if they can improve their finishing.

Set to face a Swansea side who have managed to keep three clean-sheets in their last four league games, the Cottagers cannot afford to be wasteful tomorrow.

If Fulham are able to seal victory in-front of their own supporters, they could use the confidence gained from this result to push on in the Championship.

However, a failure to deliver the goods could result in the club losing ground on Bournemouth and West Bromwich Albion.



https://footballleagueworld.co.uk/marco-silva-identifies-key-area-that-fulham-need-to-address-ahead-of-swansea-city-clash/

'It's a tough one to call' – Tom Cairney's first-team chances on his Fulham return: The verdict

This article is part of Football League World's 'The Verdict' series, which provides personal opinions from the FLW writers regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Fulham midfielder Tom Cairney is making progress on his long-term knee injury despite not yet being able to join in with first-team sessions, according to Marco Silva who spoke to The Athletic's Peter Rutzler during his pre-match press conference.

The Scottish international has been suffering from this recurring injury that has kept him out for a total of over nine months now, not featuring for the Cottagers since their away tie against Newcastle United way back in December.

Because of this, he hasn't had a chance to stake his claim for a starting spot this term, with promotion back to the Premier League the prize on offer if they can regain their consistency and show why they were heavily fancied as title contenders at the start of the campaign.

As club captain, his absence has been a big blow for him individually and for the club as a whole, although they have had a selection of very capable players to call upon in the middle of the park including new signing Nathaniel Chalobah, Jean Michael Seri, Josh Onomah and Harrison Reed available, even with Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa's loan departure to Napoli.

He may be the skipper of the club, but does Cairney get straight back into the starting lineup after returning from such a long-term injury? He may not be fit yet – but his progress will give Marco Silva a huge selection dilemma.

Ahead of the 30-year-old's return, we have asked three of our writers at Football League World whether they think he will be a guaranteed starter at Craven Cottage.

Billy Mulley
Tom Cairney is an excellent player at Championship level, whose experience and technical ability making him a player who The Cottagers have sorely missed.

He is someone who can create opportunities out of nowhere, with his vision and range of passing allowing him to split defences.

He is also a player who works tirelessly out of possession and has a desire to keep his team in control of the ball.

Fulham do have exciting midfield talents operating in his place, but for Marco Silva, having him back at his disposal can only be a good thing.

If you combine that with the fact that Fabio Carvalho is also nearing a return, then it sure is exciting for Fulham fans.

George Harbey
It's a tough one to call really.

No player has a defying right to come in and play after being out for a while based purely on their name, but Cairney is a proven performer at this level.

He scored 8 goals the last time Fulham promotion from this level, and his game has matured which means he isn't just a natural number 10 anymore.

Harry Wilson is a guaranteed starter, as is Fabio Carvalho, but Cairney could provide Bobby Reid and Josh Onomah with some real competition in midfield.

I think it will be a massive boost to have him back.

Toby Wilding
It could be hard for Cairney to immediately force his way back into the side once he is available again.

The midfielder will still need to get back to match fitness once he is available, and having not played since last December, he may not be completely match sharp when he returns to the side.

Given the importance of winning promotion back to the Premier League for Fulham this season, you wonder Marco Silva will be willing to take something of a risk on relying on Cairney, who will surely be rusty at first-team level after so long out.

Indeed, with the other options Fulham have in their attacking midfield, such as Harry Wilson and Fabio Carvahlo, it will be hard for Silva to justify dropping them with the form they are in, just to make room for Cairney in the starting XI.

As a result, it does feel like it could still be some time yet before we see Cairney playing regularly for Fulham again, which is a shame given both his ability, and the service he has given the club.



https://footballleagueworld.co.uk/its-a-tough-one-to-call-tom-cairneys-first-team-chances-on-his-fulham-return-the-verdict/

Roger Hunt's death leaves three surviving members of England's 1966 World Cup winners

The sad death of the Liverpool great at the age of 83 means that just three of the XI that beat West Germany in the 1966 final at Wembley are still alive

England World Cup winner and Liverpool goalscoring legend Roger Hunt has died at the age of 83, the Reds announced on Tuesday.

Hunt, who was also part of England's 1966 World Cup-winning line-up, scored an unrivalled 244 league goals for the Reds.

The club said in a statement posted on their official Twitter account: "We are mourning the passing of legendary former player Roger Hunt.

"The thoughts of everybody at Liverpool Football Club are with Roger's family and friends at this sad and difficult time. Rest in peace, Sir Roger Hunt 1938 – 2021."

The class of 1966 still remain the only England side to lift a trophy at a major tournament, but now sadly just three of the starting XI adored by fans are still alive.

Full-back George Cohen, who spent all of his professional career with Fulham, Manchester United great Sir Bobby Charlton - who was sadly diagnosed with dementia in November last year - and hat-trick hero Sir Geoff Hurst are the three players, and here we take a closer look at their lives post that incredible victory 55 years ago.

George Cohen (right-back)

(https://i2-prod.mirror.co.uk/incoming/article25093426.ece/ALTERNATES/s615b/0_London-Football-Awards-Arrivals.jpg)
George Cohen at the London Football Awards in 2017 ( Image:Getty Images Europe)

Fulham defender Cohen was forced to retire through injury aged 29, having amassed 459 appearances for the Craven Cottage club.

Cohen struggled with bowel cancer for 14 years in the 1980s.

He later opted to sell his World Cup winner's medal, although Fulham purchased the item to display at Craven Cottage.

Nephew Ben Cohen helped England win the Rugby World Cup in 2003, and George was awarded the MBE in 2000.

He is one of few footballers in the world whose only ever senior trophy was the World Cup.

Sir Bobby Charlton (attacking midfield)

(https://i2-prod.mirror.co.uk/incoming/article25093430.ece/ALTERNATES/s615b/0_Funeral-For-Manchester-United-Goalkeeper-Harry-Gregg-Held-In-Northern-Ireland.jpg)
Sir Bobby Charlton at the funeral of former Manchester United teammate Harry Gregg last uear ( Image:Getty Images)

Jack Charlton's younger brother Bobby made his career at Manchester United, where he would later sit on the board of directors.

Bobby won 106 international caps between 1958 and 1970, and was England's record goalscorer until overtaken by Wayne Rooney, who also eventually bettered Charlton's club tally.

A survivor of the Munich Air Disaster in 1958, Charlton, who had claimed the Ballon d'Or in 1966, helped to rebuild the club in the wake of the tragedy – and scored two goals as United beat Benfica to win the 1968 European Cup.

After retiring, he had short managerial stints with Preston and Wigan. I

In early November 2020, his wife, Lady Norma, confirmed Charlton, 83, had been diagnosed with dementia, the news coming just two days after the death of fellow World Cup winner Nobby Stiles.

Sir Geoff Hurst (striker)

(https://i2-prod.mirror.co.uk/incoming/article25093444.ece/ALTERNATES/s615b/0_AGP_MDM_090721_015JPG.jpg)
Sir Geoff Hurst at an interview with the Sunday Mirror before England's Euros final with Italy this year ( Image:Adam Gerrard / Sunday Mirror)

Still the only man to score a hat-trick in a World Cup final, Hurst made more than 400 appearances for West Ham, joining Stoke in 1972 and later playing in the USA.

After retirement, Hurst, who also worked in the insurance trade like his close friend Peters, had managerial spells with Telford, Chelsea and in Kuwait.

Knighted in 2004, the 79-year-old now lives near Cheltenham.

Hurst , who won 49 England caps, continues to raise awareness for charity work into the fight against diseases which have afflicted several of his 1966 team-mates.

The eight members of the team who have sadly passed away are:

Gordon Banks (goalkeeper) : Revered as one of the world's greatest goalkeepers, Banks died in February 2019, aged 81, after a long battle with cancer.

Jack Charlton (centre-half) : The Leeds legend enjoyed great success as Republic of Ireland manager and died in July 2020, aged 85, of lymphoma and dementia.

Bobby Moore (centre-half) : One of England's finest defenders, the Three Lions captain died tragically young at just 51 in February 1993 from liver and bowel cancer.

Ray Wilson (left-back) : The Huddersfield great also triumphed at Wembley in 1966 in the FA Cup Final and died in May 2018, aged 83, from Alzheimer's Disease.

Alan Ball (right midfield) : The youngest member of the team was always a ball of energy and tragically died in April 2007, aged 61, from a heart attack.

Nobby Stiles (central midfield) : The gap-tooted Stiles was England's midfield terrier and died in October 2020, aged 78, from cancer and Alzheimer's Disease.

Martin Peters (left midfield) : Scored the second goal in the final and died in December 2019, aged 76, following a battle with Alzheimer's Disease.

Roger Hunt (striker) : The Liverpool legend scored three goals at the 1966 World Cup and has died aged 83 after a long illness.



https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/england-1966-world-cup-team-25093366

3 curveballs Marco Silva could throw at Russell Martin ahead of Fulham v Swansea City

Fulham are winless in their last three and currently sit fourth in the Championship table.

Marco Silva's men have been devastating at times this season and are unplayable on their day, but with the Cottagers outside the automatic promotion spots the pressure to pickup wins is firmly on.

It will be interesting to see how the Portuguese decides to best combat Russell Martin's possession based style of play.

Sides have had success in pressing the Swansea back three at the start of this season and that could be a tactic Silva will look to implement. Aleksandar Mitrovic is not the most mobile of pressing forwards and therefore the Serbian would need to be deployed in company of other more athletic players to press the Swans' backline effectively.

Here, then, we take a look a three potential curveballs Silva could throw at Martin when they welcome Swansea to Craven Cottage on Wednesday evening...

Muniz and Mitrovic
Rodrigo Muniz has looked dangerous in his limited opportunities since signing from Flamengo and opened his account in the league against Reading this month.

A front pair could pin back the Swans' back three ensuring that Ben Cabango and Ryan Manning are unable to join in attacks due to the threat of the duo.

The performances have still been good of late but if the wins do not come soon Silva's position could become insecure, Swansea are in the bottom half of the table but at their best have the players to compete for the top six.

Domingos Quina
A bit of a wildcard signing, Domingos Quina offers something different to the rest of Fulham's attacking midfielders.

In the absence of Fabio Carvalho the Watford loanee offers a little more unpredictability in the final third than Josh Onomah and in that gives Martin another headache in dealing with the Cottagers' fierce attacking contingent.

The 21-year-old experienced a flavour of the Championship last season with the Hornets but will be looking to kick on in the capital this time around.

With the intense competition for places any player newly introduced to the side will be desperate to impress.

Anthony Knockaert
Bobby Reid and Harry Wilson are arguably more wide forwards than wingers, players who look to get into the penalty area and score goals themselves.

However, with the aerial threat of Mitrovic in the side, a more traditional winger like Anthony Knockaert who can deliver from wide areas in combination with attacking full backs could be an effective selection on Wednesday evening.

The Frenchman's inclusion would be a surprise but the 29-year-old is still capable of causing problems at this level and could play a significant role from the fringes this term.



https://footballleagueworld.co.uk/3-curveballs-marco-silva-could-throw-at-russell-martin-ahead-of-fulham-v-swansea-city/

Tete nears return to training

Fulham head coach Marco Silva believes that Kenny Tete may be back in training before the international break.

The Dutch defender has been sidelined since limping out of the win over Stoke City at the end of August with a hamstring complaint. The Whites have sorely missed the former Lyon full back's attacking instincts and Silva has had to deploy Denis Odoi as a deputy after failing to sign a replacement on the final day of the summer transfer window.

He told his pre-match press conference this afternoon:

"During the international break, it's possible he could start work with the team. After the international break I think we will start to see him involved with the team. Then once he is in his best physical condition, he'll be involved in matches as well."

The 25 year-old has made 27 appearances for Fulham since moving to Craven Cottage last summer but saw his first season with the club disrupted by injuries. His earlier than expected return to training at Motspur Park could come as a significant boost for Silva, whose side have faltered in his absence – losing to Blackpool and Reading as well as dropping points at Bristol City in the past month.



https://hammyend.com/index.php/2021/09/tete-nears-return-to-training/

Tete aiming to return after international break

Kenny Tete is a few more weeks from returning for Fulham, while Terence Kongolo has suffered another setback.

Kongolo's comeback in an Under-23 match against Newcastle lasted a mere 40 minutes of the first half.

The Netherlands international has played in just four games since February 2020.The latest problem is a knee injury picked up in the defeat by Wolves on April 9.

The match against the young Magpies was meant to be one of three Under-23 games on the road to recovery, but boss Marco Silva revealed that's not going to happen.

"Terence played a big part of the first half against Newcastle, but he came out because he felt not really confident", Silva said.

"Now, he's not training again, and it's up to us to give him time. It's a special situation and we have to support him because it was a bad injury. I haven't seen him at his best, but he needs time."

Right-back Tete damaged a hamstring against Hull in August and is making slow progress towards recovery.

Silva said: "During the international break we can start to work on getting him involved in the team.

"I think after the break it will be normal to see him involved.

"I can make a decision then, and see if he's in his best physical condition so he can return to playing matches."



https://www.westlondonsport.com/fulham/fulham-boss-gives-updates-on-tete-and-kongolo

Russell Martin | This will be a good test of our progress

Russell Martin believes tonight's trip to face Fulham will be a good test of the recent progress his Swansea City side have made.

The Swans head to Craven Cottage unbeaten in four league games, and on the back of a first home league win of the season against Huddersfield on the weekend.

They take on a Cottagers side who were firmly among the pre-season promotion favourites, and currently sit fourth in the Championship table.

The visitors will be underdogs in the eyes of many, but head coach Martin is keen to see the Swans embrace the task at hand in west London.

"I think [Fulham] have got one of the strongest squads in the league, along with Bournemouth and West Brom, and that's because of where they've come from," he said.

"They obviously have the goals, in (Aleksandar) Mitrovic they have one of the most prolific goal scorers at this level, as he showed the last time he's been in this division.

"It's going to be a real test for us, but it's one that we're really looking forward to after Saturday.

"And I think it'll be a really good football match; two teams that try to play in a certain way and stay true to what they do, regardless of the situation.

"So, I think it's a really good test for us, and it's come at a really good time."



https://www.swanseacity.com/news/russell-martin-will-be-good-test-our-progress

Preview | Fulham v Swansea City


Swansea City will look to extend their encouraging four-match unbeaten run when they face fancied Fulham at Craven Cottage tonight (7.45pm).

The Swans take on Marco Silva's men on the back of a weekend win over Huddersfield, which was built on a dominant and impressive first-half showing.

They face hosts who were among the pre-season favourites for promotion given the Cottagers have acheived the feat in each of their two previous campaigns in the second tier.

The Londoners have retained the core of the squad that featured in the Premier League last term, while adding the likes of Harry Wilson and Nathaniel Chalobah to their squad over the summer.

But the Swans have already gone toe to toe with one of the promotion contenders in Sheffield United, and head coach Russell Martin will be looking to see a similarly positive approach to underline the progress his side have made.

Team news
Russell Martin was hopeful of having Ryan Bennett and Rhys Williams available after the pair sat out the weekend win over Huddersfield Town.

However, striker Michael Obafemi is set to be absent until after the international break after picking up an injury in the draw at Luton.

Pre-match views
Russell Martin: "I think [Fulham] have got one of the strongest squads in the league, along with Bournemouth and West Brom, and that's because of where they've come from.

"They obviously have the goals, in Mitrovic. They have one of the most prolific goal scorers at this level, as he showed the last time he's been in this division.

"It's going to be a real test for us, but it's one that we're really looking forward to after Saturday.

"And I think it'll be really good football; two teams that try to play in a certain way and stay true to what they do, regardless of the situation.

"So, I think it's a really good test for us, and it's come at a really good time."

Marco Silva: "We have to have more quality up front and be calmer.

"It's important for us to finalise actions, the last pass and the last cross as well.

"So many times we have arrived inside the box and it was clear the chance we had.

"The first thing is to relax more with the ball, and of course more quality as well.

"We just have to keep working, not just on the pitch, but mentally as well."

Remember the last time?
Swansea City suffered last-gasp heartbreak as Aleksandar Mitrovic headed in at the death to cap a dramatic conclusion to the last Championship clash  between the sides at Craven Cottage in February 2020.

The Serbian had missed a penalty moments earlier as Freddie Woodman denied him following a barely conceivable decision by referee Tim Robinson to adjudge Connor Roberts had fouled Neeskens Kebano.

Woodman, not for the first time this season, guessed right to deny the striker from the spot but he could not keep out his towering header.

The Swans could have left south-west London with all three points themselves with Andre Ayew and Jake Bidwell going close, while the Ghanaian and his team-mates were convinced he should have been awarded a late penalty following a tackle by Denis Odoi.

The Cottagers also had their chances, Mitrovic and Joe Bryan among the men to go close for the hosts before the late drama.

Prime numbers
3 – Swansea have won on three of their last four visits to Craven Cottage, winning all three of their fixtures on the banks of the Thames in the Premier League.

5 – Swansea's tally of five clean sheets this season is the joint-best record in the Championship, with only Birmingham able to match that number.



https://www.swanseacity.com/news/preview-fulham-v-swansea-city-0

Up next: Swansea City (h)

Fulham's stuttering September comes to a close with the visit of Swansea City to Craven Cottage this evening. The early momentum behind Marco Silva's side has dissipated in recent weeks and the Whites will need to find a response following a disappointing draw at Bristol City as they did with a win at Birmingham having been beaten at Blackpool. There is no doubting the quality of players at Fulham's disposal, but the head coach admitted he was frustrated by both his side's lack of intensity and failure to finish at Ashton Gate at the weekend – while there is clear evidence that one of the promotion favourites are badly missing Kenny Tete and Fabio Carvalho, who will both be absent again tonight.

Swansea, now under the stewardship of one of the country's most progressive coaches in Russell Martin, will offer a stern test of Fulham's stomach for the fight that seemed sorely lacking in the early stages on Saturday. It was something of a coup for the Swans to lure Martin from Milton Keynes to replace Steve Cooper and he has navigated his way through injury and covid concerns as well as the lack of a pre-season to start sketching out more of an adventurous alternative to Steve Cooper's pragmatism. Swansea have stitched together five clean sheets, the latest coming in a narrow win over Huddersfield at the Liberty Stadium on Saturday, but Martin insists they will be looking to attack in west London tonight.

That sense of enterprise was on full display during the first half at the weekend when the Swans cut through the Terriers at will and should have been out of sight. They were left hanging on a little towards the end as a second goal didn't arrive – something Fulham fans will recognise from our own frustrating trip to BS3 – but Martin's new charges will make for dangerous opponents, especially as they may sense a soft centre in Silva's side. As his players get used to what is a fluid and bold 3-4-2-1 system, Swansea should be much more closer to matching the two previous play-off campaigns – or even going one better.

The shrewd summer signing of Flynn Downes, a player long rumoured to be on Fulham's radar, from Ipswich Town appears to have had an immediate impact. Paired with Matt Grimes, whose own close season links with the Whites proved something of a saga, in central midfield, the 22 year-old has recovered from coronavirus to make an outstanding start to his Swansea career, dictating play from a deep-lying role and displaying all the poise that saw Premier League scouts flock to Portman Road in previous seasons. Martin's innovative use of two number tens, allowing the likes of Jamie Paterson, Oliver Ntcham or even Liam Walsh to unlock opposition defences, might be particularly profitable against a Fulham midfield that has appeared much more clunky in recent outings.

The visitors are likely to be without Michael Obafemi for this fixture but can call upon Dutch striker Joel Piroe, who has already scored five times in eight appearances this term. Given that Silva's defence has started to give up far more shooting opportunities in recent weeks and Martin wants to be bold in SW6, the former PSV Eindhoven forward will fancy his chances of adding to tally in front of the Sky cameras.

Fulham badly need a return to winning ways with their confidence clearly jolted by recent setbacks. That they have dominated their last two league outings has not been in question, with erratic finishing costing them valuable early season points against both Reading and Bristol City. The only positive to be taken from the usually reliable Aleksandar Mitrovic wasting three clear openings in stoppage time had to be that all three opportunities were created by Antonee Robinson, whose lack of consistent quality crosses had been previously criticised. In the absence of Carvalho, the Whites lack dynamism in the final third – especially now sides have doubled up on Harry Wilson. Domingos Quina has yet to impress as a number ten and Silva's preferred central midfield trio is not working at present.

I would be shocked if Harrison Reed doesn't return to the starting line-up this evening, but the composition of the engine room probably requires some tinkering as well. Reed raided forward from a more advanced role with his customary energetic at Ashton Gate after being introduced at half-time, but Fulham missed his eye for danger in front of back four and proved incapable of resisting the home side's assault after Nigel Pearson gambled with his own substitutions. Jean Michael Seri's redemption has surprised us all, but the experiment with him as a quarterback at the base of the midfield leaves the back four without a sturdy shield.

It surely has to be time for Neeskens Kebano to be offered a run in the starting line-up again. The Colongese winger, whose performances carried Fulham through the play-offs the last time we were in the Championship, enlivened a thoroughly forgettable forward display at Bristol City with a desire to take on his full back and get to the byline having been summoned from the bench for the second half – creating the goal with a delicious cross almost immediately. He was pivotal to the commanding advantage established early on at Millwall and could count himself very unfortunate to have been consigned to a substitute role once Wilson returned from suspension.

MY FULHAM XI (4-3-3): Rodak; Odoi, Bryan, Adarabioyo, Ream; Reed, Seri, Onomah; Wilson, Kebano, Mitrovic. Subs: Gazzaniga, Mawson, Robinson, Chalobah, Quina, Decordova-Reid, Muniz.



https://hammyend.com/index.php/2021/09/up-next-swansea-city-h-2/

Fulham's Terence Kongolo suffers injury setback
Fulham defender Terence Kongolo has suffered another injury setback.

Kongolo, 27, made his return to action in a recent Under-23 fixture v Newcastle United, but the Dutchman lasted just 40 minutes before having to come off.

He featured just once in the Premier League last time round and once in the Championship over the course of the 2019/20 campaign, having battled a persistent knee injury over the past two years now.

And he's been dealt another cruel blow – Fulham boss Marco Silva explained the situation to West London Sport:

"Terence played a big part of the first half against Newcastle, but he came out because he felt not really confident.

"Now, he's not training again, and it's up to us to give him time. It's a special situation and we have to support him because it was a bad injury. I haven't seen him at his best, but he needs time."

Kongolo initially signed for Fulham on loan from Huddersfield Town before making his stay permanent in October 2020.

Reports at the time claimed that the Whites would be shelling out upwards of £7million for the centre-back, who's contracted at Craven Cottage until 2024.

So far though, it's been a torrid spell for the player. Persistent knee injuries are keeping him out of the side and as it stands, Fulham have paid significantly for a player who has so far featured just twice in league fixtures since joining part way through the 2019/20 campaign.

We saw his ability prevail at the likes of Feyenoord and Huddersfield Town before his arrival at Fulham. He's been capped four times by his country and so there was never any question about his ability, though his poor luck with injury is making for a painful situation at Fulham.

Contracted for another two-and-a-half years, Kongolo faces a pivotal few months ahead of him – the club will be praying that he can find some sort of fitness to not only repay some of the money and faith put into him so far, but also because he'd be a hugely useful player to Silva.

Though it continues to be setback after setback – up next for Fulham is home clash v Swansea City later tonight.



https://the72.co.uk/251655/fulhams-terence-kongolo-suffers-injury-setback/

Fulham fans' guide to Swansea City clash – Team news, predicted XI, score prediction
Fulham will be hoping to return back to winning ways as they host Swansea City at Craven Cottage on Wednesday evening.

The home side come of the back of a disappointing 1-1 draw, which saw Marco Silva's men hit the crossbar three times. An early second half goal from Aleksandar Mitrović was cancelled out by a Kasey Palmer equaliser.

Fulham made a tactical double change at half time which saw Harrison Reed and Neeskens Kebano enter the field for Bobby Decordova-Reid and Josh Onomah.

As for Swansea, they recorded their first home win of the season, Joël Piroe scored his sixth goal of the season in a 1-0 win against Huddersfield.

The Welsh side currently find themselves 17th in the league but are on a run of four games undefeated following a recent turn of form.

Fulham will be without teenage star Fabio Carvalho who is conitnuing to recover from a foot injury.

They have no new injury concerns, with Tom Cairney and Kenny Tete still side-lined. Terrance Kongolo has returned to training but wont be risked yet.

We anticipate some changes from the last starting 11 for Fulham and expect to see something similar to the second half against Bristol City.
Predicted Fulham XI

(GK) Gazzaniga

(RB) Odoi

(CB) Tosin

(CB) Ream

(LB) Robinson

(CM) Seri

(CM) Reed

(CM) Chalobah

(RW) Wilson

(LW) Kebano

(ST) Mitrović
Score prediction

Fulham who have currently got one win in their last four Championship games, need to return to winning ways to stay in touch with the top two.

As for Swansea, on the back of great home result against Huddersfield, they will be hoping to continue their great form of recent. They know a win can put them in the top half.

With Fulham being at home we expect them to edge the game, but we expect a tough battle from Russell Martin's men.

Fulham 2-1 Swansea



https://the72.co.uk/251569/fulham-fans-guide-to-swansea-city-clash-team-news-predicted-xi-score-prediction/

Swansea City to debut new third kit against Fulham


Swansea City will proudly wear the club's new third kit for the first time during tonight's fixture with Fulham.

Russell Martin's team head to Craven Cottage for their latest Championship test, with the Swans set to debut the coral kit.

The club's third kit, which features a retro pattern design in the material with a coral mesh panel on the shirt underarm and complete with a black stripe detail, also includes this season's heritage crest in celebration of 40 years since Swansea City reached the First Division.

The third kit can also be bought in-store at the Swansea.com Stadium Club Shop on Thursday, Friday and Saturday between 9.30am and 5.30pm.

We are also still operating a click and collect service from our Cwmdu warehouse (Cwmdu Industrial Estate, Unit 26, SA5 8JF), which is free of charge for supporters.




https://www.swanseacity.com/news/swansea-city-debut-new-third-kit-against-fulham

Swansea Matchday Preview

Fulham v Swansea City | Wednesday 29th September 2021 | 7.45pm | Craven Cottage | #FULSWA

The opposition

    There's a new regime in place at Swansea this season following Steve Cooper's summer departure after two years at the helm, with MK Dons boss Russell Martin chosen as his successor.
    Three defeats in the first five Championship fixtures suggested it could be a long season for the Jacks, but they've since steadied the ship and are unbeaten in four, most recently beating Huddersfield Town at the weekend, their first win at home since the beginning of May.
    Teams have often struggled to breach the Swansea defence this season, with their five clean sheets the best in the Championship. But on the flipside, Stoke, Preston and Luton have all managed to put three past them.

Fulham team news

Tom Cairney and Fabio Carvalho are back out on the pitches but are not yet ready for action, though Kenny Tete has been pencilled in for a return to training during the international break. Terence Kongolo's comeback for the Under-23s last week hit a snag, with Marco Silva revealing: "He wasn't confident and didn't finish the first half, he came off. He's not training again. He needs time to come back stronger. We have to give him time. He's a special situation. He needs time and support. It was a bad injury."

Swansea team news

The centre-back pairing of Rhys Williams and Ryan Bennett missed the Huddersfield win, but there is cautious optimism in the Welsh camp that they will be fit for Fulham. Striker Michael Obafemi is definitely out.

Half-time

Fulham's Paralympians Thomas Young and Chad Perris will be on the pitch at half-time for a Q&A with Ivan Berry.

FFCtv

As this match has been selected for live television coverage on Sky Sports, we are unable to stream footage on FFCtv, though commentary will be available for subscribers.

Tickets

Fans are encouraged to buy their tickets online in advance, though they will also be available to purchase from the Ticket Office this evening. Matchday price increases will be in effect from 5pm.

For any supporters with a Print at Home ticket, please ensure this has been printed off in advance of arrival to Craven Cottage. Print at Home tickets cannot be printed or collected at Craven Cottage.

Weather

A dry evening is forecast in SW6, with temperatures around the 13 degree mark.

Form

Fulham: LWLD*D

*Lost on penalties

Swansea: DDDLW

Pre-match quotes




https://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2021/september/Swansea-Matchday-Preview/

Swansea: Tickets Available!

There's still time to secure your seat for this evening's clash at Craven Cottage between Fulham and Swansea City!

Tickets for the 7:45pm kick-off remain available to purchase on General Sale, priced from £25 for adults and £15 for juniors. Secure your seat before 5pm today and save, after which point all prices increase by £5.

Fans can purchase tickets now online at tickets.fulhamfc.com or by phone from the Fulham FC Ticket Office on 0203 871 0810 (lines open between 9am and 5pm). Supporters will also be able to purchase from the Fulham Ticket Office this evening.

BUY TICKETS ONLINE

If selecting a print at home ticket, please ensure this has been printed before arriving to Craven Cottage. Printing facilities are not available at the ground.



https://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2021/september/Swansea-Tickets-Available-/

Quote from: whitejc on September 29, 2021, 11:10:43 AM
Fulham's Terence Kongolo suffers injury setback
Fulham defender Terence Kongolo has suffered another injury setback.

Kongolo, 27, made his return to action in a recent Under-23 fixture v Newcastle United, but the Dutchman lasted just 40 minutes before having to come off.

He featured just once in the Premier League last time round and once in the Championship over the course of the 2019/20 campaign, having battled a persistent knee injury over the past two years now.

And he's been dealt another cruel blow – Fulham boss Marco Silva explained the situation to West London Sport:

"Terence played a big part of the first half against Newcastle, but he came out because he felt not really confident.

"Now, he's not training again, and it's up to us to give him time. It's a special situation and we have to support him because it was a bad injury. I haven't seen him at his best, but he needs time."

Kongolo initially signed for Fulham on loan from Huddersfield Town before making his stay permanent in October 2020.

Reports at the time claimed that the Whites would be shelling out upwards of £7million for the centre-back, who's contracted at Craven Cottage until 2024.

So far though, it's been a torrid spell for the player. Persistent knee injuries are keeping him out of the side and as it stands, Fulham have paid significantly for a player who has so far featured just twice in league fixtures since joining part way through the 2019/20 campaign.

We saw his ability prevail at the likes of Feyenoord and Huddersfield Town before his arrival at Fulham. He's been capped four times by his country and so there was never any question about his ability, though his poor luck with injury is making for a painful situation at Fulham.

Contracted for another two-and-a-half years, Kongolo faces a pivotal few months ahead of him – the club will be praying that he can find some sort of fitness to not only repay some of the money and faith put into him so far, but also because he'd be a hugely useful player to Silva.

Though it continues to be setback after setback – up next for Fulham is home clash v Swansea City later tonight.



https://the72.co.uk/251655/fulhams-terence-kongolo-suffers-injury-setback/

This sounds very worrying, like his confidence has completely gone after his string of injuries and set backs..

Fulham ink UTL deal as they bid for Premier League return

September 29 – English championship club Fulham, currently second in the table as they bid for a return to the Premier League, have partnered with UTL Group, a firm specialising in document solutions, for the next three seasons.

The UTL Group will help Fulham to "streamline and improve its business processes around printing" and develop its own business opportunities, engaging with Fulham's network and clients.

"It's important that we partner with likeminded brands with shared principles that add value to the Club's operations," said Fulham sales director Jon Don-Carolis in a statement. "We're equally excited to work together on sustainability initiatives to help reduce our carbon footprint."

The terms of the deal were not disclosed.

"The geographical positioning of the club and their exciting new developments align with our ambitious growth plans," said UTL director Chris Pollard. "Sustainability is at the heart of what we do and it's been extremely encouraging to provide Fulham with a print solution which helps to reduce carbon footprint, along with many other benefits."

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]



http://www.insideworldfootball.com/2021/09/29/fulham-ink-utl-deal-bid-premier-league-return/

Kenny Tete's situation at Fulham becomes clearer

Fulham right-back Kenny Tete could return to training during the international break according to manager Marco Silva, who spoke to The Athletic's Peter Rutzler ahead of their home tie against Swansea City this evening.

The 25-year-old Dutch international suffered a severe hamstring injury in their 2-0 home win against Hull City last month, being withdrawn for Bobby De Cordova-Reid in the 32nd minute and missing seven competitive fixtures since then.

This was a blow to a Fulham side that had started Tete in each of their opening four games before his injury, drafting in Denis Odoi as his replacement.

Despite not being Odoi's fault, the Cottagers have lost their momentum since then, winning just two of their five league games without him and keeping just one clean sheet during those matches.

Tete was recruited by the west London side on their return to the Premier League last year, sealing a bargain £3m deal with Ligue 1 side Lyon for a right-back once touted for big things.

He made 22 top-flight appearances last term in his debut season in England – and will be desperate to guide the Cottagers back to the Premier League to avoid having to spend another year in the second tier.

In this quest to do this, he is in line to return to training next week, with Marco Silva saying: "During the international break, it's possible he (Tete) could start work with the team.

"After the international break, I think we will start to see him involved with the team. Then once he is in his best physical condition, he'll be involved in matches as well."

The Verdict:

Having Tete back can only be a boost for Fulham who will need all the quality and depth they can get if they want to secure a return to the Premier League.

They can't afford to be dropping points – and on paper – you have to say it's their performance levels that are letting them down for dropping points and not their quality.

Their lack of ruthlessness in front of goal may have been highlighted in the previous few games, and rightly so, because how they didn't score more than one against Reading and Leeds United combined in two of their recent games is a mystery.

But their defence also needs to stop leaking goals, even if it's just one per game. With this inability to be clinical in front of goal, they need the backline to step up and the return of Tete will only hope to increase competition and boost performance levels because of that.

The 25-year-old will be especially keen to get out of the second tier after playing in the Champions League for former side Lyon not so long ago. He is tied down to a long-term deal at Craven Cottage too, so it's time to get to work.



https://footballleagueworld.co.uk/kenny-tetes-situation-at-fulham-becomes-clearer/

Marco Silva drops Fulham injury update ahead of Swansea clash

Fulham manager Marco Silva has dropped an injury update ahead of the Cottagers' upcoming Championship clash.

What's the latest?

According to a report by West London Sport, the Fulham boss revealed that he will once again be unable to call upon Fabio Carvalho on Wednesday evening, as the 19-year-old is still yet to recover from a toe injury which has now ruled him out of five Championship fixtures.

The 44-year-old also claimed that Tom Cairney is back in fitness training with the first-team squad, and could be in line for a return to action after the upcoming international break.

Speaking about the current condition of the midfielders, Silva said: "Tom is running outside on the pitch and improving his physical condition, but not involved in the training sessions, and we hope to integrate him better after the international break.

"If I can have Tom and Fabio available for this position [central midfield] we will be stronger, that's for sure."

Fans will be gutted

Considering just how impressive Carvalho has been for Fulham so far this season, as well as the fact that the Cottagers have won just one of the four fixtures the attacking midfielder has been sidelined for, the news that the 19-year-old looks set remain unavailable for the visit of Swansea City is sure to have left fans gutted.

Indeed, over his five Championship appearances this term, the £225k-rated man has scored three goals, registered one assist and created two big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 2.4 shots and making 2.2 key passes per game.

These metrics have seen the player who Silva himself dubbed a "quality" talent earn an average SofaScore match rating of 7.30, ranking him as Fulham's joint-third best performer in the second tier of English football.

As such, the continued absence of the former England U18 international is sure to dent the club's chances of picking up a positive result against Swansea, as well as being a major blow for Silva.



https://www.footballfancast.com/fulham-fc-news/fulham-ffc-the-cottagers-team-news-injury-updates-marco-silva-fabio-carvalho-tom-cairney-swansea-city-the-championship

Let's Talk About...Fulham

Last weekend, Swansea secured their first home league win under Russell Martin. Joel Piroe's strike after some excellent build-up play gave Swansea a 1-0 win over Huddersfield. This was also their third consecutive home clean sheet.

Up next for the Swans is a trip to Fulham. The west-London club were relegated from the Premier League last season, a year after they were promoted via the playoffs. They come into Wednesday's game on a run of one win in four games. They kicked off their season with a draw at home to Middlesbrough, before securing four successive wins over Huddersfield, Millwall, Hull City and Stoke City. Following the international break in September, Fulham were stunned at Blackpool, losing 1-0 to the newly promoted side. They followed that up with a 4-1 win at Birmingham, before a surprise 2-1 defeat at home to Reading. Last weekend, they dropped two more points, drawing 1-1 at Bristol City. This saw Fulham drop out of the automatic promotion places.

Their transfer window

First team arrivals

After a quiet start to the window, Fulham completed two first-team signings in one day.

First, they confirmed the acquisition of Paulo Gazzaniga from Tottenham. The 29-year-old Argentinian goalkeeper joined Spurs in 2017 but spent most of his time as their backup keeper. However, when Hugo Lloris suffered an elbow injury in 2019, Gazzaniga became temporary first-choice, making 18 Premier League appearances in 2019-20. He spent last season on loan at Elche, where he played 8 La Liga games. Gazzaniga has started all nine of Fulham's Championship games since his arrival.

They simultaneously announced the signing of Harry Wilson from Liverpool. The Wales international joined for a fee of £12 million after enjoying five loan spells while at the Merseyside club. He spent last season on loan at Cardiff City, where he scored seven and assisted 12 in 37 appearances. Since his arrival, Wilson has three goals and three assists in six games.

Around a month after the Wilson and Gazzaniga moves, Fulham completed their third signing of the summer, bringing in Rodrigo Muniz from Flamengo. The 20-year-old Brazilian forward joined for an estimated £7.2 million. Muniz has made two substitute appearances, scoring in their 2-1 defeat to Reading earlier this month.

Their fourth and final permanent signing saw Nathaniel Chalobah join on a free transfer. The 26-year-old midfielder joined after leaving Watford, reuniting with a former manager in the process. So far, Chalobah has started in three games, registering two assists.

Adding to their four permanent signings, Fulham completed the loan signing of Domingos Quina from Watford. The 21-year-old midfielder has represented Portugal at Under-17 to Under-21 level. He joined Watford from West Ham United in 2018 but has struggled to find regular football. joined Granada on loan in February, where he made eight La Liga appearances.

First team departures

Following the expiration of his contract, goalkeeper Marcus Bettinelli made the short move to Chelsea. The 29-year-old first arrived at Fulham as a teenager in 2006. He went on to make 103 league appearances for the club, including seven in the Premier League in 2018-19.

32-year-old Scotland international Kevin McDonald departed the club after five years at Craven Cottage. McDonald made 116 league appearances for Fulham after joining from Wolves in 2016. He remains without a club.

On the same day that Fulham announced the Wilson and Gazzaniga signings, they also confirmed the sale of Stefan Johansen. The Norwegian midfielder joined fellow Championship side Queens Park Rangers for a fee of £600,000. Johansen enjoyed a successful loan spell at QPR in January, featuring in 21 league games.

Mauritania international Aboubakar Kamara also completed a move away from The Cottagers, joining Aris Thessaloniki for an estimated £3.15 million. Kamara scored 14 goals in 85 league games for Fulham, including three in 13 Premier League outings in 2018-19.

After a three-year spell at the club, Maxime Le Marchand returned to his native France in August, joining Strasbourg. He joined Fulham from Nice in 2018 for £3.6 million, making 26 Premier League appearances in his debut season. His game-time was limited after that; he was loaned out to Royal Antwerp last season.

Five players left the club on loan over the summer, although Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa is the only first-team departure. He joined Fulham from Marseille in 2018 for a club-record fee of £22.8 million but failed to deliver in his first season at the club. He was then loaned to Villarreal following Fulham's relegation but returned to the first-team last season after they were promoted. The Cameroon international joined Napoli on deadline day.

Also departing on loan were Timmy Abraham (Newport County), Jerome Opoku (Vejle), Sylvester Jasper (Colchester United) and George Wickens (Wealdstone).

Their captain

Since joining the club from Blackburn in 2015, Tom Cairney has become a club legend at Fulham. The 30-year-old midfielder has made almost 200 league appearances for the club.

He began his senior career at Hull City, after coming through the ranks at Leeds United. He was named as Hull's Young Player of the Year in 2008-09, which earnt him a new deal.

He scored his first goal on his senior debut, against Southend United in the League Cup in 2009. He made his Premier League debut later that season. His first Premier League goal came in March 2010, albeit in a 5-1 defeat to Everton.

In August 2013, Cairney joined Blackburn Rovers on loan. The deal was made permanent in January 2014, following a successful loan spell. Cairney remained a regular in the team for the succeeding 18 months, before departing the club in June 2015 to join Fulham for a fee of £3 million.

Cairney played in 39 Championship games in his debut season, scoring eight goals. He followed that up by scoring 12 in 45 league games in 2016-17.

Ahead of the 2017-18 season, he was officially named captain. In his first season with the armband, he led Fulham back to the Premier League after a four-year absence. However, the club were relegated back to the Championship at the first time of asking, along with Huddersfield Town and Cardiff City. Despite Fulham's spending, they finished 19th with 26 points.

In 2019-20, Cairney guided Fulham back to the Premier League via the playoffs. He scored eight league goals as they beat Brentford at Wembley.

He made just 10 Premier League appearances last season, after suffering a serious knee injury in December. He is yet to feature since, although he has recently returned to the training pitch. However, he is still considered to be some way off full fitness.

Their manager

Following Scott Parker's summer departure, recently relegated Fulham confirmed the appointment of Marco Silva. The 44-year-old manager spent his entire playing career in his native Portugal.

He started his career at Belenenses, before a brief spell at Atletico Clube de Portugal. He then moved to Trofense, before a loan spell at Campomaiorense. In 2001, he joined Rio Ave, but departed a year later to join Braga's B-team. He followed that with moves to Salgueiros and Odivelas, before completing a move to Estoril in 2005.

He remained at Estoril for the remainder of his career, playing 121 league games in a six-year spell. Immediately after retiring, he became Director of Football at Estoril. However, he became their manager soon after.

Despite the team being tenth when he took over, a run of just three defeats in 24 matches saw Estoril achieve promotion to the Portuguese top flight as champions. Silva was voted Manager of the Year in his debut season in management.

In their first season back in the top division, Estoril once again enjoyed a successful season, finishing fifth and securing Europa League qualification. He departed the club in May 2014 after they finished fourth.

He joined Sporting CP, replacing the outgoing Leonardo Jardim. In his first season at the club, Sporting finished third, while also winning the Portuguese Cup. They beat Braga 3-1 on penalties in the final.  However, Silva was dismissed by the club four days later in bizarre fashion. The reasoning included Silva's failure to wear an official Sporting suit for a league game.

A month after his departure from the Portuguese club, Silva returned to management, taking the Olympiacos job. He won the Greek top-flight title in what would prove to be his only season at the club, as he departed in June 2016.

He remained without a job until January 2017, when he received his first taste of English football. He took over at Hull City, who were bottom of the Premier League when he arrived. Despite a strong start, Silva was unable to steer Hull to safety. He resigned on 25th May 2017.

Despite Hull's relegation, Silva made an immediate return to the Premier League just two days later. He took over at Watford. After an impressive start to the season, he was targeted by Everton in November. This unrest led to a period of poor results, which saw Silva lose his job in January 2018.

It would take more than four months for Silva to take the Everton job. He joined the club at the end of the season, replacing Sam Allardyce. Everton finished eighth in his first season, three points behind Wolves, who qualified for the Europa League.

After a poor start to the 2019-20 season, Everton sacked Silva in December. The club were 18th with 14 points from 15 games. He would remain without a job until 1st July 2021, when he took the Fulham post.

Since his arrival, Fulham have won five, drawn two and lost two of their opening nine Championship games. They also reached the Third Round of the EFL Cup, losing to Leeds United on penalties after a 0-0 draw.

Previous meetings with Fulham

Swansea enjoyed great success against Fulham during their mutual spell in the Premier League, winning five out of six meetings with the London club. After Fulham's relegation in 2014, the clubs did not meet until the 2019-20 season, during Steve Cooper's first year in charge.

29th November 2019 (H)

Swansea welcomed Fulham to South Wales in November, with both sides sat in the playoff places after strong starts.

Fulham took the lead in the 22nd minute through Alexsandar Mitrovic. The Serbian forward doubled their advantage shortly before half-time.

George Byers gave Swansea hope with 25 minutes to go, but the visitors held on to take all three points back to West London.

Full time – Swansea City 1-2 Fulham

26th February 2020 (A)

Less than three months after their previous meeting, Swansea travelled to Fulham looking to close the gap on the top six.

The Swans battled hard and were denied a penalty when Andre Ayew was tripped in the box.

Instead, it was Fulham who were awarded a penalty with just two minutes to go, when Connor Roberts collided with Neeskens Kebano. Up stepped Mitrovic, whose spot-kick was heroically saved by Freddie Woodman.

However, deep into injury time, Mitrovic headed home to cruelly deny Swansea a point.

Full time – Fulham 1-0 Swansea City

Match Preview

After securing their first home win, the Swans will be eager to upset Fulham by securing back-to-back wins. Fulham have failed to win either of their previous two games, which has seen them drop outside the automatic promotion places.

Flynn Downes continues to impress in a Swansea shirt, while the defence secured their third successive home clean sheet. Michael Obafemi looks likely to miss out once again, which could see Liam Cullen return to the starting XI, should Martin choose to rotate.

Alexsandar Mitrovic has scored seven Championship goals already this season, only one fewer than the entire Swansea team. The Serbian forward struggled in the Premier League last season but has hit the ground running since Fulham's relegation. He scored three goals in the last two meetings with Swansea.

Swansea will likely face multiple ex-Cardiff players, with Harry Wilson and Bobby Decordova-Reid both regularly featuring for the hosts. Reid joined the club from Cardiff in 2019, initially on loan, while Wilson spent last season at the Welsh club.

On paper, this is one of the toughest games of the season for Swansea, with the hosts boasting a wealth of talent. Fulham currently lead the league in goals scored, while their eight conceded is also one of the lowest. a win could see them rise to second if results go their way. Meanwhile, Swansea sit just three points behind seventh-place Huddersfield prior to Tuesday night's games, while they are also five points above the relegation zone.

After the trip to Fulham, Swansea travel to 24th-place Derby County on Saturday. Wayne Rooney's side have also picked up ten points, but the 12-point deduction means they currently find themselves on -2 points.



https://planetswans.co.uk/2021/09/29/lets-talk-about-fulham/

Latest injury news, set backs for both sides tonight. Jack Army out in force in London

Swansea City's biggest test of the season comes tonight in the form of Fulham, who are widely tipped to bounce straight back to the Premier League at the first attempt this season. Flush with parachute payment cash, and a quality squad, Marco Silva's side are red hot favourites tonight.

Despite a few injuries to his midfield Silva will be expecting his Fulham side to railroad the swans at Craven Cottage. The Fulham boss revealed that he will once again be unable to call upon Fabio Carvalho for the game as the 19-year-old is still yet to recover from a toe injury which has now ruled him out of five Championship fixtures. Silva also claimed that Tom Cairney is back in fitness training with the first-team squad, and could be in line for a return to action after the upcoming international break. Speaking about the current condition of the midfielders, Silva said: "Tom is running outside on the pitch and improving his physical condition, but not involved in the training sessions, and we hope to integrate him better after the international break" If I can have Tom and Fabio available for midfield we will be stronger, that's for sure."

Tom Cairney is out of the game tonight

Despite these deficiencies in his selection tonight Silva knows the expectation on his side to take all three points is high. The Cottagers are in the middle of a slight wobble league wise but that should not detract from the end result tonight. Swansea haven't faired that well on the road and despite going one up at Preston a few weeks ago they still faltered and lost 3-1. It could have been more. The real concern for Russell Martin will be the twenty five minute capitulation at Kenilworth Road, the swans bravely fought back to draw 3-3, a repeat of that tonight won't help his ' total football' cause. Michael Obafemi is out with a muscle injury, Ryan Bennett could feature but he isn't totally fit yet. Korey Smith and Liam Walsh are nursing slight knocks but should be okay for the game if selected.

The swans have sold in excess of 1,100 tickets for tonight's game and Fulham have stated they have catered for up to four hundred away supporters to pay in at the gate tonight. It's always a great trip by the river Thames, and a noisy and raucous Jack Army will most certainly prove vital. Despite the swans slow start to the season they are now undefeated in four league games since the Preston defeat.

The game kicks off at 7.45pm and is LIVE on SKY Sports Football.




https://www.fansnetwork.co.uk/football/swanseacity/news/55897/latest-injury-news-set-backs-for-both-sides-tonight.-jack-army-out-in-force-in-london

FLW TV: Midweek Preview: Fulham to get back on track? Can Nottingham Forest win at Oakwell?

The Sky Bet Championship action continues this evening as a handful of games await us in the second tier.

Fulham are looking to get back to winning ways as they welcome Swansea City to Craven Cottage, whilst Nottingham Forest are aiming to break a torrid run of form at Oakwell as they face Barnsley.

Peterborough face Bournemouth, Millwall take on Bristol City, Luton play Coventry and Reading and Derby County meet.

To discuss that, George Dagless, Ben Wignall and Marcus Ally take to FLW TV's latest Midweek Preview – have a watch for yourself and subscribe to our YouTube channel if you can!





https://footballleagueworld.co.uk/flw-tv-midweek-preview-fulham-to-get-back-on-track-can-nottingham-forest-win-at-oakwell/

Swansea City headlines as Fulham boss hits Swans nail on head, injury blow confirmed and Wilfried Bony transfer window links revealed

These are your Swansea City headlines on Wednesday, September 29.

A full roundup of the latest Swans news ahead of Wednesday night's league fixture with Fulham in London.

Silva's Swans praise
Fulham boss Marco Silva says Swansea are getting better and that Russell Martin's ideas are beginning to blossom in SA1.

The pair face off for the first time this evening at Craven Cottage, with the home side heavily fancied for promotion this season.

Martin's methods have taken a while to permeate through to his players but recent performances have suggested Swansea are getting there slowly but surely.

And Portuguese Silva hit the nail on the head when asked his views of Swansea ahead of the match.

"They're a good side and are getting better," Silva said in his pre-match press conference. "They're playing with a lot of confidence now and are getting the results as well.

"A team that likes to play good football, like to take some risks with their style of play, I'm sure they'll come here and it will be, in my opinion, an open game.

"They like to attack, they like to start from the back, it's clear the way they want to play.

"They try to press the opponent as well, and I think we will see a good game, with both teams trying to win the match.

"It will have to be a Fulham team playing at its best level to win the football match. That's what we want, and we want to achieve a different result to our last game at home."

Swansea too had a managerial change this summer, and Silva believes they are now starting to buy into Martin's philosophy.

"It will be the first time we've faced each other," he stated. "They started a little bit later as well, he arrived late before the season, but now you start to see some of his ideas there, what he's tried to do, what he's trying to build.

"It will be a tough game for sure, [but] we're playing at home with our fans behind us, we have to be stronger than them and we have to achieve the result we want."

Cottagers without Carvalho
Silva added that he will be without Fabio Carvalho for the game this evening.

The talented teenager is recovering from a fractured toe, and although he's back in training, he won't be fit enough for the Swans' visit.

"We have two situations with Tom Cairney and Fabio Carvalho," he said.

"Tom has started running on the pitch. I am seeing him every single day and, even if he is not involved with the team, he is already progressing.

"Fabio started this week with the team. He is getting fitter every day and, of course, soon we can see him in the squad."

Big test for us - Martin
Martin believes the Cottagers are up there with the likes of West Brom and Bournemouth and believes tonight's game will be stern test for them.

Progress has been made against Luton and Huddersfield Town but the west Londoners are a different kettle of fish

"I think [Fulham] have got one of the strongest squads in the league, along with Bournemouth and West Brom, and that's because of where they've come from," he said.

"They obviously have the goals, in [Aleksandar] Mitrovic they have one of the most prolific goal scorers at this level, as he showed the last time he's been in this division.

"It's going to be a real test for us, but it's one that we're really looking forward to after Saturday.

"And I think it'll be a really good football match; two teams that try to play in a certain way and stay true to what they do, regardless of the situation.

"So, I think it's a really good test for us, and it's come at a really good time."

Bony too expensive for Indian sides
Reports from India state that former Swansea striker Wilfried Bony was attracting interest from teams there during the transfer window.

Bony is still without a club after leaving Saudi Arabian side Al-Ittihad last November when his contract was terminated.

He has been training with League Two outfit Newport County for the past few months in a bid to stay fit as he searches for a new club.

That won't be in India though, according to Marcus Mergulhao, of the Times of India, who says he was too expensive for any side to contemplate signing.

As a free agent, Bony can put pen to paper at any time on a deal.

Speaking back in January, Bony confirmed that his representatives were speaking to clubs around the world over potential moves.



https://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/swansea-city-headlines-fulham-boss-21707294

Preview: Fulham XI vs Swansea – latest team & injury news, predicted XI

With Marco Silva's Fulham side heading into Wednesday night's Championship clash in unconvincing form, as the Cottagers' have won just one of their last five fixtures in all competitions, the 44-year-old manager will undoubtedly be hoping for a positive result at Craven Cottage in order to get his team's automatic promotion push back on track.

However, with the visitors to west London this evening, Swansea City, being in much-improved form under Russell Martin in recent weeks, having lost just once in their last five league games, despite the contrasting league positions of the two sides, picking up three points in the fixture will be no walk in the park for Fulham.

So, will Silva make any changes to the team that started in the Cottagers' 1-1 draw with Bristol City last weekend? Here's how we think Fulham could line up against the Swans, along with the latest team and injury news...


With both Fabio Carvalho and Tom Cairney still sidelined due to injury, Silva once again has a tough call to make in the middle of the park for the visit of Swansea, so, with this in mind, we predict that the 44-year-old will make two changes to the side that started against the Robins.

In defence, the back five of Paulo Gazzaniga, Antonee Robinson, Tim Ream, Tosin Adarabioyo and Denis Odoi remains unchanged, as, despite the disappointing result at Ashton Gate, all five players turned in impressive performances in the fixture.

In the middle of the park, following his recovery from injury, the £31k-per-week Harrison Reed comes in alongside Nathaniel Chalobah, taking the place of Jean-Michael Seri, as the 31-year-old's form has dropped in recent weeks.

Meanwhile, after yet another ineffectual display against Bristol City, Josh Onomah drops out of the side, with Bobby Reid – who started on the left flank last weekend – moving into the central attacking midfield role, while 29-year-old Neeskens Kebano comes in on the left-hand side of the Fulham attack.

Finally, Aleksandar Mitrovic keeps his place as starting centre-forward, with Rodrigo Muniz having to make do with a spot on the bench.



Finally, Aleksandar Mitrovic keeps his place as starting centre-forward, with Rodrigo Muniz having to make do with a spot on the bench.