Next up: Burton Albion

[Friendsoffulham]

Burtons last 6 games have brought 3 loses, 2 draws and 1 impressive 3-0 win away to Sheffield Wednesday.

However, Burton currently sit 3rd from bottom on the Championship, 2pts off bottom place Sunderland.

After our 'smash & grab' win away to Middlesbrough on Saturday, and now only 1pt off the playoffs, what do Fulham have to do to grab all 3pts here?

As always, this type of game is a potential banana skin for Fulham, but, what does Slav have to do, what Team will he put out, will he risk playing Tom Cairney, what will the score be?

Please discuss.

[Fernhurst]

Buy Jackson Irvine off them before Saturday and there buggered

[Fernhurst]

Whoops he's with Hull City...... that's good then

[davew]

Burtons last 5 games have brought 3 loses, 2 draws and 1 impressive 3-0 win away to Sheffield Wednesday.

However, Burton currently sit 3rd from bottom on the Championship, 2pts off bottom place Sunderland.

After our 'smash & grab' win away to Middlesbrough on Saturday, and now only 1pt off the playoffs, what do Fulham have to do to grab all 3pts here?

As always, this type of game is a potential banana skin for Fulham, but, what does Slav have to do, what Team will he put out, will he risk playing Tom Cairney, what will the score be?

Please discuss.

Last 5 games, 3 losses, 2 draws and an impressive win, isn't that 6 games (lol)? We will all have to hold a bible and pray hard with a large stiff drink on stand by when things are on a knife edge, don't buy any bananas as you say they can be dangerous especially for Fulham supporters. The team Slav will put out will depend on what happens in the t/fr market the next few days and whether he feels he has a future at Fulham, that I can't answer! He shouldn't even consider playing TC!!! We should be good enough to beat Burton whatever team is picked without TC. Score prediction is 3-1 to us!!

[Fernhurst]

Seriously,  we didn't get either of our fullbacks beyond theirs on Saturday. If we start to get down the flanks can see nothing but woe for Burton.

[Fernhurst]

Match Fred with Neeskens down the right.

[Twig]

Odoi and Sess on the left and leave the CB duties to Ream and Kalas.  TC on the bench again. Ojo on the bench too.

[hovewhite]

Can see TC on the bench and a victory sat it may be tight.

[bog]

The last thing we need is any complacency....or first come to that....


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[RaySmith]

I'm sure Slav and the players will approach this game with a professional attitude.

This is exactly the type of game where we can come a cropper, at home laying a team desperate for points, who will probably have 10 men behind the ball, and try to hit us on he break.

It would be good if TC is fit, we need his passes to unlock a massed defence, but I fear he won't be fit. Norwood is a good replacement though.

[toshes mate]

Odoi and Sess on the left and leave the CB duties to Ream and Kalas.  TC on the bench again. Ojo on the bench too.

How I wish we could clone Mr Odoi.  I have the utmost regard for him in spite of the occasional lapses of sensibility he incorporates to his game.  He was exceptional on Saturday when needed either in central defence or covering on the left.  One thing that was very encouraging on Saturday was how we still had bags of energy left in the final twenty minutes of the game and that may be the key for us.  Play Odoi in defence first half and keep a clean sheet, then switch to Kalas and release Ryan Sessegnon second half.  If we can plunder a goal or two first half even better.  Ojo to bench and play Kebano from the start.   

[Whitesideup]

Start with Odoi at LB (he is easily good enough) and Kalas at CB (as is he) - push Sessegnon further up - which is his real strength (defending is not yet up to required level IMO)  - and when we get chances, we have to take them otherwise this is a potential banana-skin as Burton will surely work their socks off, and I suspect will be hard to break down without the creativity of Cearney.

I hope I am wrong and that we run out comfortable 5-0 winners! COYW!

[S.F.Sorrow]

I just checked the form tables and was surprised to see that Burton's away form is second only to Derby in the last 4 matches and 4th in the last 8 matches. The are terrible at home, worst team by far in the last 8 matches but their away form is actually very good. Certainly a lot better than I suspected. They have won their last three (league) matches away!

I'm actually relieved to see this. I can't see them getting a fourth win away. Let's give them a long overdue thrashing!

[filham]

What yet another rest for TC, soon we will be saying he is not match fit.

[davew]

AK, Kebano and Sess up front to start with, Ojo too inconsistent in my opinion!

[alfie]

What yet another rest for TC, soon we will be saying he is not match fit.

Did you not know he has a bit of a knee problem that seems to be reoccurring recently, I am sure you do, rest him as often as possible to give time to recover, have him on bench and only bring on if necessary.

[Milo]

Normally I'd be posting with the normal "we will lose 2-1 or 1-0 and it'll be a flat, disappointing game where we never get going".

However I actually sense the opposite. I think it could be 3-0 or 4-0. I literally have no idea how we are where we are given how poorly we've played this season but I have no doubt we will be in the playoffs come the end.

[gezkc]

We definitely can't be complacent about this game. Don't forget Burton have already beaten us once this season (2-1 at their ground back in September), and that was during a bad spell when they were being walloped by the likes of Leeds and Aston Villa.

Hopefully we'll continue the good run of form we've been showing recently, but I'm not overly confident. These are the kinds of games we often disappoint in!

[filham]

What yet another rest for TC, soon we will be saying he is not match fit.

Did you not know he has a bit of a knee problem that seems to be reoccurring recently, I am sure you do, rest him as often as possible to give time to recover, have him on bench and only bring on if necessary.

He has had the knee problem all season and missed a good amount of playing time already. Is it our intention to play out the remaining nineteen games of the season playing Cairney only against top teams or in the second half of matches when we are losing. This sounds like a recipe for disaster to me.

[gezkc]

What yet another rest for TC, soon we will be saying he is not match fit.

Did you not know he has a bit of a knee problem that seems to be reoccurring recently, I am sure you do, rest him as often as possible to give time to recover, have him on bench and only bring on if necessary.

He has had the knee problem all season and missed a good amount of playing time already. Is it our intention to play out the remaining nineteen games of the season playing Cairney only against top teams or in the second half of matches when we are losing. This sounds like a recipe for disaster to me.

Would you prefer he risks long term injury by playing full games when his knee's clearly not right?

Surely it would be better to rest him completely to make sure he's fully fit when it comes to the crunch games at the end of the season?