Friday Fulham Stuff (18/08/17)...

[WhiteJC]

 
Player may have medical at Fulham tonight, signing from Porto on loan deal

Fulham seem to be close to signing FC Porto left-back Rafa Soares.

According to Portuguese newspaper O Jogo today, the clubs have already found a deal and the player is now awaited in London to have his medical and sign for the Craven Cottage side. That could even happen tonight.

The outlet makes sure to say the agreement is 'concluded' and the player is moving to Fulham on a loan deal with an option to buy.

They still don't know the figures of the transfer, but Porto will be 'making some millions' only with the loan fee.

It's claimed that Fulham even considered buying the player now, but ended up choosing for the loan instead.

There was also some competition from Portugal, but none of the possibilities became concrete, and O Jogo explains the Championship is a nice place to send players temporarily, an increasing trend from Portugal.

Soares was a regular starter for Porto last season, but seems to have lost his position to Alex Telles, who started the first two league games the club played so far.



http://sportwitness.co.uk/player-may-medical-fulham-tonight-signing-porto-loan-deal/

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham v Sheffield Wednesday

The Championship has got off to its blistering pace of start that we should probably have gotten used to by now, but it still feels like a lot of games already!

Following another draw, but a hard-earned one at that, at Elland Road on Tuesday night; Fulham take on another big Yorkshire team at the Cottage on a Saturday afternoon. The Whites are no strangers to Sheffield Wednesday, having battled against the Owls for the coveted sixth spot in the league last year before Leeds United's timely collapse allowed both teams to secure play-off spots in their own right. Much like Fulham, Wednesday have kept hold of the majority of their squad from last year, trusting that the old guard should have enough to get the business done this time round.

The only notable additions at Hillsborough over the summer months have been George Boyd and centre-half Frederico Venancio, as well as the permanent addition of last season's Middlesbrough loanee Jordan Rhodes, and outgoings have also been in short supply.

In truth, Wednesday's attacking options remain probably the most potent in the league, with Rhodes and Boyd being joined in the ranks by Sam Winnall, Gary Hooper, Steven Fletcher, Atdhe Nuhui, Lucas Joao and Fernando Forestieri, although the latter has been linked with a move away from the Owls after a training ground rift with Sam Winnall has resulted in him being dropped from Wednesday's matchday squad for the last few matches.

Whilst the diminutive Italo-Argentinian is clearly a player of considerable talent, the wealth of options at Carvajal's disposal suggests that even if a move away was to materialise, he probably wouldn't be missed all that much. The suggestion of a reunion with his former boss at Watford, Jokanovic, has been mooted, but is more than likely just conjecture, although it's something we'd welcome in an instant should it materialise to be true.

Fulham have made signings of their own this week, however. Rui Fonte has come in to take the number 9 shirt and the formed Braga captain is joined at Motspur Park by Liverpool loanee Sheyi Ojo, who promises further energy, skill and pace in the spot opened up by Lucas Piazon's unfortunate injury sustained during Tuesday's game.

Whilst both teams have had restrained openings to the season, it's undeniable that Saturday's match up is between two of the Championship's strongest squads, and between two teams who will be looking to be in and around the automatic spots come the end of the season, and thus, as always between these two sides, the fixture should be entertaining, attacking and a pleasure to watch.

Results so far:

    D: Sheffield Wednesday 1-1 Sunderland
    D: Sheffield Wednesday 1-1 Queens Park Rangers
    W: Sheffield Wednesday 4-1 Chesterfield
    L: Preston North End 1-0 Sheffield Wednesday

Fulhamish's Starting Line-Up:

The big questions continue to come for Slavisa. Does new No9 Rui Fonte get a starting berth leading the line after AK47's energetic, if slightly limited, performance on Tuesday night? Does Denis Odoi keep his place ahead of the returning Tomas Kalas, and if the Czech centre-half does return, should Denis come out to take Ryan Sessegnon's left back slot? Is Cairney fit again? Does the excellent Ollie Norwood come back into the middle, or does Ibrahima Cisse, who was excellent against Leeds, maintain his run in the side? We're glad we're not picking this one, but this is what we've plumped for.

Key Battle:
Kevin McDonald v Barry Bannan

We were tempted to call it as Gary Hooper against Tim Ream, but with the American getting the nod for Tuesday's game against Leeds, we thought we'd mix it up a bit and settled for the key battleground being the centre of the park. Despite slow starts to the season for both, we know for a fact that both Fulham and Sheffield Wednesday are amongst the best teams in this division, and the control of possession in the match-up will go a long way to determining who comes out on top at Craven Cottage on Saturday afternoon.

Bannan is a well experienced player with the ability to change games with a long-range bullet or a defence-splitting pass, just as much as he's able to shield his back four, and is an integral part of Carlos Carvajal's unit. Likewise, KMac is Fulham's wall, and, to take a biblical analogy, the rock on which Slavisa Jokanovic has built his church. If he can snuff out Bannan's creativity, and Fulham can launch their own game off a solid McDonald platform, three points should be within range for the Whites.

Fulhamish's Prediction:
Obviously there are no easy games against a team of Sheffield Wednesday's quality, but their start to the season has been slightly sluggish and Fulham really need to capitalise on that if they're going to take their first three points of the season. An early goal would settle the nerves and play on Wednesday's own fears, and would hopefully line Fulham up for a good day out in the Saturday afternoon sun of Craven Cottage. We'll be brave, and call it as a 3-1 home win.



https://www.fulhamish.co.uk/post/2017-08-18-fulham-v-sheffield-wednesday/

[WhiteJC]

 
Sheffield Wednesday In Focus

Have a read of our matchday preview, as Fulham and Sheffield Wednesday each go in search of their first league win of the season.
Possible opposition absentees

Glenn Loovens – back injury

Kieran Lee – hip injury

Sam Hutchinson – knee injury

Tickets

Tickets for this match are still available to buy, priced from £30 for adults and £15 for juniors - supporters are reminded of a £5 price increase on matchday.

Weather

It will be dry all day with a bit of sun and temperatures of 20 degrees at kick-off.

He said...

"Fulham will be tough. We played them last season and Fulham were a decent side. But we are more than capable of going there and getting all three points." – David Jones, Sheffield Wednesday midfielder.

Grosvenor Casinos match odds

Fulham: 22/25

Draw: 5/2

Sheffield Wednesday: 3/1

Last five results

Sheffield Wednesday 1-1 Sunderland (Sky Bet Championship)

Sheffield Wednesday 1-1 Queens Park Rangers (Sky Bet Championship)

Sheffield Wednesday 4-1 Chesterfield (Carabao Cup)

Preston North End 1-0 Sheffield Wednesday (Sky Bet Championship)

Sheffield Wednesday 0-2 Glasgow Rangers (Friendly)



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2017/august/18/sheffield-wednesday-in-focus

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham duo to miss Sheffield Wednesday game

Fulham will be without winger Lucas Piazon and defender Michael Madl when they visit host Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday.

Piazon fractured his right ankle in the goalless draw with Leeds United on Tuesday.

The Brazilian, on loan from Chelsea, underwent an operation 24 hours later and will go through a rehabilitation programme over the coming months.

Centre-back Madl has not featured in the last two matchday squads, and has been linked with a move to Legia Warsaw.

Fulham boss Slavisa Jokanovic said Sone Aluko would be involved despite speculation over the striker's future and the arrival of Braga's Rui Fonte.


http://www.westlondonsport.com/fulham/fulham-duo-miss-sheffield-wednesday-game

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham v Sheffield Wednesday
Venue: Craven Cottage

Sheyi Ojo was a member of the England side that won the Under-20 World Cup this summer

Sheyi Ojo could make his Fulham debut after joining on a season-long loan from Liverpool.

The Cottagers will be without Lucas Piazon after he broke his leg in their midweek draw at Leeds, while Tomas Kalas returns from a one-match ban.

Glenn Loovens could return from a back injury for Wednesday, although Frederico Venancio may deputise.

The Owls must decide whether to recall forward Fernando Forestieri after a reported training ground bust-up.

SAM's prediction
Home win - 56%   Draw - 25%   Away win - 19%

SAM (Sports Analytics Machine) is a super-computer created by @ProfIanMcHale that is used to predict the outcome of football matches.

Match facts
    Fulham have kept just one clean sheet in their last 16 matches against Sheffield Wednesday in all competitions (4-0 in Dec 2014), with Marcus Bettinelli keeping net in that clash.
    The Owls won all three matches vs Fulham in 2015-16 but failed to win either Championship fixture against the Lilywhites in 2016-17 (D1 L1).
    Fulham have drawn their opening three league games to a season - they've never opened the campaign with four draws.
    Including play-offs, Sheffield Wednesday have lost just one of their last six Championship away games (W3 D2), though it was their season opener against Preston.
    Sam Winnall has scored in three of his last five league appearances for Sheffield Wednesday, this after netting in one of his first 11.


http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/40907800