Tuesday Fulham Stuff - 24/08/21...

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Birmingham City: Lee Bowyer must unleash Chuks Aneke vs Fulham

After comfortably guiding his Birmingham City side to survival last season, and following an impressive summer transfer window, Lee Bowyer has managed to maintain the Blues' fine form into the club's 2021/22 Championship campaign – winning two, drawing one and losing one of their opening four league fixtures.

The 44-year-old has also guided his team through to the Carabao Cup second round, defeating Colchester United 1-0 in the first round two weeks ago, and the Blues face Fulham in that competition on Tuesday night.

With the competition perhaps not being a priority for Bowyer during a season in which the manager will undoubtedly be prioritising the club's league campaign, the fixture will allow him to rotate his side in order to take a look at a couple of younger talents, as well as his first-team fringe players.

One such player who falls into the latter category is Chuks Aneke, the 28-year-old summer signing from Bowyer's former employers Charlton Athletic.

Indeed, game-time has been limited for the £360k-rated forward at St Andrew's so far this season, having made three substitute appearances in the Championship, over which he has scored one goal and averaged just 24 minutes on the pitch per game.

However, Aneke demonstrated over his 38 League One appearances for the Addicks last term that he could well deserve a shot from the off against Fulham, with the £5.4k-per-week marksman scoring 15 goals, providing two assists and creating three big chances for his teammates, as well as taking 2.3 shots and making 0.6 key passes per match.

These returns saw the man who Bowyer himself dubbed an "immense" talent earn a highly impressive seasonal SofaScore match rating of 7.03, ranking him as Charlton's fifth-best performer in the third tier last season.

As such, it would certainly appear that, when he is given the opportunity, the forward can bring considerable returns to his club.

With not much at stake in a cup clash with the Championship table-toppers, it would seem highly advisable for Bowyer to give Aneke a chance from the off. His presence in and around the box could well terrify the Cottagers' backline, as well as affording the manager a chance to see what the 28-year-old is capable of producing against a challenging opponent.



https://www.footballfancast.com/birmingham-city-news/birmingham-city-the-blues-team-news-lee-bowyer-fulham-chuks-aneke-carabao-cup-the-championship

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Birmingham Matchday Preview

Birmingham City v Fulham | Tuesday 24th August 2021 | 7.45pm | St Andrew's | #BIRFUL

The opposition

    Blues find themselves in Round Two of the Carabao Cup after a hard fought victory over Colchester United. It was a tight game against the League Two side – who had Fulham loanee Sylvester Jasper in their starting XI – but a 75th minute strike from teenager Marcel Oakley on his debut was enough to secure a 1-0 win.
    In the league, it's been a good start to the campaign for Lee Bowyer's men, taking seven points from their opening four matches. Last week they recovered from a smash and grab defeat by Bournemouth by putting five past Luton Town at Kenilworth Road.
    City are also the only side to have conceded fewer league goals than Fulham in 2021/22, with the two scored by Bournemouth the only ones they've shipped so far.

Birmingham team news

Former Fulham goalkeeper Neil Etheridge has been recovering from Covid but is now back training, while loanee Dion Sanderson could be handed a debut after building up his fitness in the PL2.

Fulham team news

Harry Wilson sits out the third and final game of his ban, while Tim Ream, Kenny Tete and Fabio Carvalho will be assessed after picking up knocks on Saturday. Marco Silva has already said, though, that he will be making changes for the Cup tie.

Tickets

This match is now off sale, with no tickets available to purchase on the night. Do not travel if you have not already purchased a ticket! For those collecting tickets, these will be available from the Away Car Park at St Andrew's.

Permutations

If the score is level after 90 minutes, we will have a penalty shoot-out.

Weather

It will be a dry and mild evening in the Midlands, with temperatures around 18 degrees.

FFCtv

We are not permitted to stream Carabao Cup matches, but live commentary from Gentleman Jim and Jamie Reid will be available to FFCtv subscribers.

Player insight

Alfie Mawson is hoping for some more minutes at St Andrew's having featured for the majority of Fulham's win over Hull City after replacing the injured Tim Ream.

"I was devastated that Tim had to come off injured, hopefully he's alright," he told FFCtv. "But you've got to be ready and I'm buzzing to be back out there.

"I feel like I'm in a good position at the moment, physically and mentally. It's times like this where you've got to come together and be ready.

"I thought Tuesday night was going to be a big game for me and a lot of the lads who have been on the periphery, and we have to be ready."

Form

Birmingham: WWDLW

Fulham: DWWW

Pre-match quote

"It's a moment for me to see some of the players, because they are working so hard. They are deserving this chance, and it's a good moment for me to give the chance to them."

Marco Silva
Fulham Head Coach

https://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2021/august/Birmingham-Matchday-Preview/

[Fulham 442]

Good news that Ream/Tete/Carvalho are being assessed and their injuries described as knocks, so even if they are rested tonight, as would be expected, hopefully they will be available for selection soon.

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Silva 'asked board to sign Muniz'

Some interesting comments from Marco Silva on Fulham's recruitment – courtesy of the Athletic's Peter Rutzler. Asked specifically about the arrival of Rodrigo Muniz from Flamengo, the Fulham head coach said:

"Was he a player that I asked the board to sign? Definitely. Like I asked to sign Harry Wilson, and like I asked to sign Paulo Gazzaniga. I cannot see football in a different way. You work with the board, but to be clear, they were players I asked 100 per cent to be signed. Rodrigo was a player that came from myself to the club, and of course after the club analysed him and all the others as well."

Silva's insistence on prolonging Fulham's interest in the Brazilian striker, which looked like floundering earlier this summer when Flamengo rejected the club's initial loan offer, may hint at a change in transfer strategy or at least greater influence for the new head coach than some of his predecessors have enjoyed. It is noteworthy that Silva suggests that the signings of Paulo Gazzaniga and Harry Wilson originated with him rather than other members of the club's recruitment team.



https://hammyend.com/index.php/2021/08/silva-asked-board-to-sign-muniz/

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Wilson wins Wales call up

Fulham winger Harry Wilson has been named in the Welsh squad for their three September international fixtures.

Welsh boss Robert Page has named a 27-man squad for a friendly against Finland on 1 September and two World Cup qualifiers against Belarus and Estonia. Wilson enjoyed a fine start to his Fulham career following his summer switch from Liverpool, scoring on his debut against Middlesbrough. The winger starred in the 5-1 win at Huddersfield, but was sent off for violent conduct midway through the second half at the St. John's Smith Stadium and serves the final game of his three match suspension this evening.

The 24 year-old has won 29 senior caps for Wales, scoring five goals and was part of the Welsh Euro 2020 squad.



https://hammyend.com/index.php/2021/08/wilson-wins-wales-call-up/

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Rodak named in Slovakia squad

Fulham goalkeeper Marek Rodak has been named in Slovakia's squad for their three World Cup qualifiers next month.

Rodak, who was part of Slovakia's Euro 2020 squad but did not feature at the finals, is likely to be Stefan Tarkovic's number one for the matches against Slovenia, Croatia and Cyprus as Newcastle United goalkeeper Martin Dubravka is unavailable after undergoing foot surgery over the summer and missing the start of the Premier League season.

The 24 year-old has played second fiddle to new signing Paulo Gazzaniga at Craven Cottage so far this season but is expected to get his chance to impress Marco Silva in tonight's League Cup tie at Birmingham City. Rodak has won six senior caps for his country and excelled as Fulham were promoted from the Championship in 2019/20 but then had to watch most of last season from the bench after the Whites signed Alphonse Areola on loan.



https://hammyend.com/index.php/2021/08/rodak-named-in-slovakia-squad/

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Fulham boss Marco Silva makes transfer admission after recent events

Fulham boss Marco Silva has confirmed that he asked the club's board to sign Rodrigo Muniz this summer, as per a recent post on Twitter by The Athletic's Fulham reporter Peter Rutzler.

The Brazilian centre forward became Silva's third new signing of the window since taking charge of Fulham on Friday and will add to the team's striking options moving forwards.

Aged just 20, Muniz is viewed as a great prospect for the future by the West London side and will be looking to make a long lasting impact alongside the club's other summer signings, Harry Wilson and Paulo Gazzaniga, at Craven Cottage.

Now Silva has been quick to stress that it was entirely his decision to bring the young striker to the football club, as he stated the following on the signing recently;

Silva: "This is a moment for me to see some players because they are working so hard. They are deserving the chance. It's not because we don't respect the competition. We will go to match our opponent, to get the result we want and go through the competition."

— Peter Rutzler (@peterrutzler) August 24, 2021

Muniz arrives in the capital with a growing pedigree and the hope will be that he can repeat the sort of form that he showed during his time at former club Flamengo, who he scored five times in 24 games for before moving to England.

The striker has put pen to paper on a five year deal with Fulham and could soon be involved in their upcoming games.

The Verdict

Silva has a reputation for buying players that have the potential to go onto bigger things and there is certainly a feeling that this signing falls into that category.

Muniz is very much an up and coming prospect and could well net the club a hefty profit in the years to come if he hits the ground running in the Sky Bet Championship.

As was seen during his time at Watford, Silva brought in Richarlison from another Brazilian club in Fluminense and the Hornets went on to benefit well financially after he first thrived at Vicarage Road and then left to join Everton.

The signing of Muniz once again showcases Fulham's financial might in comparison to their second tier rivals and the pressure and expectations will be set high for a player who is still very much making his way in the game.



https://footballleagueworld.co.uk/fulham-boss-marco-silva-makes-transfer-admission-after-recent-events/

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Decordova-Reid starts: The predicted Fulham XI to face Birmingham tonight

Fulham are in Carabao Cup action this evening against fellow Sky Bet Championship side Birmingham City.

The Cottagers have started the season very well indeed and underlined their credentials as promotion contenders early on with 10 points from a possible 12.

Now, though, focus is switching to the EFL Cup at least for tonight and it would be no surprise to see Marco Silva switch up his side and give some players a rest ahead of a cracking looking game at the weekend against strong starting Stoke City.

That said, Aleksandar Mitrovic could be given a rest with Bobby Decordova-Reid coming in and playing a more advanced role, whilst Neeskens Kebano may remain in the side with Ivan Cavaleiro on the other flank.

Fabio Carvalho may also be given a rest and that could see Tyrese Francois in the side as he looks to impress, too, whilst in defence we could see the likes of Joe Bryan, Alfie Mawson and Denis Odoi all given a run-out.

Marek Rodak could also get a start in goal, too.

https://footballleagueworld.co.uk/decordova-reid-starts-the-predicted-fulham-xi-to-face-birmingham-tonight/

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Opposition report: Fulham
Fulham are the visitors as Blues compete in Carabao Cup Second Round action this evening. Here's everything you need to know about the away side...

FORM GUIDE:

10 goals scored, three wins and a draw in Fulham's opening four fixtures represents a good start for Marco Silva's side in the Sky Bet Championship.

The spoils were shared in their opener against Neil Warnock's robust Middlesbrough, before Fulham scored five as they swept aside Huddersfield Town in Yorkshire. A more closely fought affair would follow against London neighbours Millwall which ended in a 2-1 win, before Saturday's solid 2-0 away victory over Hull City.

This is the Cottagers' first game in the Carabao Cup this season – as one of the relegated sides they enter at the Second Round stage.

IN THE DUGOUT:

Portuguese manager Marco Silva is the man tasked with leading Fulham back to the top flight at the first attempt.

His entire career was spent in his homeland and his first job in management was with Estoril, whom he played for over a six year spell towards the end of his career.

From Estoril, he'd spend a season at Sporting Lisbon, whom he led to the Portuguese Cup before heading abroad for the first time. First with Olympiacos, where he won the Greek Super League, before he left for England, where he's managed for the past four years. The former right-back has had spells with Hull City, Watford, Everton and now Fulham.

The Cottagers have been big spenders this summer, recruiting the likes of Harry Wilson from Liverpool and more recently, Rodrigo Muniz from Flamengo.

ONE TO WATCH:

Silva is likely to rest several first-team players this evening, so expect a runout for Bobby Decordova-Reid.

The former Bristol City man is into his third season with the Whites and will have a point to prove as Aleksandr Mitrovic and Fabio Carvalho continue their free-scoring form in the league.

The former Bristol City and Cardiff man has scored nine goals in 61 appearances for Fulham but is yet to get off the mark this season.

Quick, hard-working and experienced, he's one to keep an eye on this evening.

LAST TIME OUT:

Blues fell to a last-minute defeat when the two sides last met in 2020 at Craven Cottage.

Josh Onomah – still on the books at Fulham – scored five minutes into added time to inflict a cruel defeat on Pep Clotet's Blues, who had several opportunities themselves.

PREVIOUS KNOCKINGS:

Matches between Blues and Fulham have been contested for over 100 years and the two have met consistently since their first game in 1908.

Blues have been on the receiving end of a couple of defeats in the last two games between the pair but won three of the four games before that.

In the 92 overall matches between the sides, Blues have won 34, Fulham 30, with 28 draws.

DID YOU KNOW?

The original 'cottage' of Craven Cottage – Fulham's home ground – was built in the 18th century.

It was located in what would be the centre-circle of the ground and it's thought the surrounding woodland around the stadium was part of Anne Boleyn's hunting grounds.



https://www.bcfc.com/news/articles/2021/opposition-report-fulham/

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Preview: Blues V Fulham
Blues host Fulham in the second round of the Carabao Cup on Tuesday night.

It is just a second League Cup meeting between the two sides as both look to progress having made strong starts to their respective Sky Bet Championship seasons.

Blues come into tonight's encounter having thrashed Luton Town 5-0 at Kenilworth Road on Saturday. Scott Hogan's brace and goals from Marc Roberts, Gary Gardner and Chuks Aneke saw Blues back up the M1 with all three points and a best away win in almost ten years.

A first round win over Colchester United came a fortnight ago, with Marcel Oakley's goal seeing Blues through on a memorable first-team debut. 

As for the visitors, they are unbeaten in the league having won three and drawn once. On Saturday, they dispatched Hull City 2-0 at Craven Cottage - Aleksandar Mitrovic and Fabio Carvalho both scoring for the third game in succession.

THE OPPOSITION

London's oldest professional football club are yet to play a game in the League Cup this season and will make their bow against Blues, having been relegated from the Premier League in May.

It's a tournament Fulham have enjoyed limited success in over the past few decades - their best runs since the 1970s came in the early 2000s when they twice made the quarter-finals.

But a priority this season will surely be a return to the top flight for Marco Silva's team, who were relegated with three games to play in May under the management of former boss Scott Parker.

Their Portuguese manager, who signed in the summer, is well versed in English football and brings experience having had spells in the dugout at Everton, Watford and Hull City.

LAST TIME OUT

Blues enjoyed a superb afternoon at Kenilworth Road as they trounced the Hatters 5-0. Hogan's brace, a thumping Roberts header, Gardner's excellent strike and Aneke's bundled effort – his first for the club – sealed the victory. The win marked a fourth clean sheet in five games for Bowyer's side as they continue their impressive start to the new campaign.

As for the visitors, Mitrovic and rising star Carvalho both scored as Fulham beat newly-promoted Hull City on Saturday. Mitrovic, playing his fifth season with the Cottagers headed home from a corner midway through the first-half, whilst Carvalho added a second ten minutes later. Defensively, Silva's team weren't troubled by the Tigers as they notched a first clean sheet of the term and extended their unbeaten run.

WE MEET AGAIN:

Fulham 1-0 Blues, Saturday 4th July 2020

An empty Craven Cottage saw Fulham squeeze past Blues in July 2020.

Josh Onomah's 95th-minute strike was harsh on Blues, who'd seen a number of Jude Bellingham attempts well-saved by Marek Rodak in the first-half.

Rodak's opposite number Lee Camp also had a bright game, saving well from Joe Bryan, Bobby Decordova-Reid and Onomah, before the latter's late winner.

TEAM NEWS:

Lee Bowyer has no fresh injury concerns. Dion Sanderson and Neil Etheridge continue to work towards full fitness.

HEAD TO HEAD:

Blues wins: 34

Draws: 28

Fulham wins: 30

LAST FIVE MEETINGS:

Championship 04 Feb 2017 – Blues 1-0 Fulham

Championship 09 Dec 2017 Fulham 1-0 Blues

Championship 06 May 2018 Blues 3-1 Fulham

Championship 09 November 2019 Blues 0-1 Fulham

Championship 04 July 2020 Fulham 1-0 Blues

BLUESTV:

Competition regulations prevent the match from being streamed on BluesTV. However, subscribers in the UK can enjoy full audio commentary from the Carabao Cup tie.

MATCH OFFICIALS:

Referee: Samuel Barrott

Assistant Referees: OliverBickle and James Vallance

Fourth Official: Aaron Jackson



https://www.bcfc.com/news/articles/2021/preview-blues-v-fulham/

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LOAN ROUND-UP: WICKENS MAKES DEBUT

Goalkeeper George Wickens made his league debut on Saturday for Wealdstone FC, who fell to a narrow 2-1 defeat against Woking.

Our stopper made a couple of strong saves and despite the scoreline, was pleased to make his debut:

"It was a nice feeling to make my debut and perform well in it. It's a big step up in terms of physicality and what I'm having to deal with.

"I feel it's the best thing for me in terms of pushing on and hopefully becoming a First Team player at Fulham in the future."

Sylvester Jasper celebrated his first win with League Two outfit Colchester United at the weekend. The 19-year-old got another 82 minutes under his belt, as the U's secured a 2-1 away win against Oldham Athletic.

Things were just as good for Timmy Abraham over in Wales, with Newport County picking up a 1-0 win at Tranmere Rovers. Timmy was introduced in the 62nd minute but was unable to help the Exiles to a second goal.

Jerome Opoku did not feature in the squad for Danish side Vejle Boldklub.



https://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2021/august/Loan-Round-Up-Wickens-Makes-Debut/

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Fulham: Marco Silva must unleash Rodrigo Muniz vs Birmingham

Marco Silva's reign at Fulham could hardly have got off to a better start, with the Cottagers currently sitting top of the Championship table, having picked up 10 points from their opening four fixtures of the season, as well as enjoying a very successful summer transfer window.

Indeed, having already secured the arrivals of Paulo Gazzaniga and Harry Wilson this summer, Tony Khan recently revealed that Fulham have also landed a £7.2m deal for Flamengo centre-forward Rodrigo Muniz.

With a Carabao Cup fixture against Birmingham City coming up tonight for the Cottagers, the game against Lee Bowyer's men could well provide Silva with the perfect opportunity to blood the 20-year-old into his side.

Indeed, the Brazilian seems to be an incredibly exciting prospect, having scored three goals, registered one assist and created two big chances over his nine Campeonato Brasileiro Serie A appearances for Flamengo so far this year, returns which saw the youngster earn a highly impressive average SofaScore match rating of 7.16.

As such, the £2.7m-rated man would not simply appear to be a prospect for the future of Fulham – he is a player who boasts the ability to make a big difference for the club in their push for promotion this season.

It is likely that it will take the man who Khan dubbed an "exciting" talent a little while to adjust from the Brazilian game to England, but the relatively risk-free Carabao Cup clash against Birmingham could well be an ideal chance for Silva to see Muniz in action, as well as granting the striker valuable game-time as he becomes accustomed to his new surroundings.

Once the 20-year-old is up to speed in west London, we would not bet against him flourishing under the guidance of Fulham's Portuguese manager – something we could well see the first glimpse of against the Blues tonight.



https://www.footballfancast.com/fulham-fc-news/fulham-the-cottagers-team-news-marco-silva-rodrigo-muniz-birmingham-city-carabao-cup-the-championship

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18-year-old defender starts: The predicted Birmingham City XI vs Fulham tonight

Birmingham City face fellow Championship side Fulham at St. Andrew's this evening as they look to progress to round three of the League Cup.

Lee Bowyer will want to build on Saturday's magnificent 5-0 win at Luton but his heavily rotated team in the victory over Colchester earlier this month shows that the cup is not the priority for Blues this season.

Therefore, with one eye on the weekend trip to Barnsley, the boss is expected to make plenty of changes again and here we look at the XI he will go with.

Neil Etheridge is pleasingly closing in on a return to action but this game is likely to come too soon for the number one, meaning Connal Trueman should get another opportunity.

Meanwhile, Bowyer is sure to go with the same back four that beat the U's, so the regular defensive unit get a rest. Fans will be pleased to see how youngsters Marcel Oakley and Nico Gordon get on in a tough test.

Moving forward, the chance to get minutes for Riley McGree, Jordan Graham and Ivan Sanchez will delight the boss and it will be down to those individuals to impress and show why they deserve to play on a Saturday. With Gary Gardner having started on the bench at Kenilworth Road, he should come into the XI as well.

Finally, Jonathan Leko and Chuks Aneke will also be keen to get a rare start this season and they too will be hoping to give Bowyer a selection dilemma moving forward by getting on the scoresheet.



https://footballleagueworld.co.uk/18-year-old-defender-starts-the-predicted-birmingham-city-xi-vs-fulham-tonight/

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3 curveballs that Marco Silva could throw at Lee Bowyer ahead of Fulham's cup trip to Birmingham City

Fulham travel to St Andrew's in the second round of the League Cup on Tuesday evening with plenty of options at Marco Silva's disposal in looking to rest and rotate, or even surprise Lee Bowyer.

18-year-old Marcel Oakley scored the only goal of the game as the Blues got past Colchester United 1-0 in the first round, and they will be looking to continue their positive momentum on Tuesday evening.

With eight days to go in the window, Silva still has an embarrassment of riches for the level of opposition and the cup competition will not change that, key men so far this season Fabio Carvalho and Aleksandar Mitrovic could be rested with new signing Rodrigo Muniz possibly making his full debut after his transfer from Flamengo.

There may also be opportunities for Harrison Reed and Anthony Knockaert to get some minutes as they enter the final stages of their returns from injury.

Here, then, we look at three curveball selections Silva could make to freshen up his side on Tuesday evening...

Play-off hero Joe Bryan
Silva could name 11 changes from the club's 2-0 home win over Hull City on Saturday and probably produce a lineup that would compete inside the top six of the Championship.

Joe Bryan could be one to come in for the trip on Tuesday evening, to give Antonee Robinson a rest at left-back.

Bryan bagged an extra-time brace for the Cottagers as they beat Brentford 2-0 in the 2019/20 play-off final, and even outside of that performance was a key man in their promotion. His delivery from wide areas is his standout strength and the 27-year-old could be in a position to provide an assist or at least create some chances if Muniz gets the nod.

Championship ace to roll back the years?
Anthony Knockaert has won promotion from the Championship three times, once with Fulham, and the league's Player of the Year Award in 2016/17.  There are fitness concerns over his selection however it seems likely he will play some part in the match.

A nightmare for fullbacks in years gone by but at 29 after a slow and steady year at Nottingham Forest last term, the fear factor is no longer present around the Frenchman.

Knockaert will be determined to show his manager that he can contribute to Fulham's automatic promotion push, by proving his fitness and skillset on Tuesday evening, the League Cup presents the perfect opportunity and with the Blues not boasting anywhere near the Cottagers' strength in depth, Knockaert could cause all kinds of problems on Tuesday evening.

Unknown quantity
Rodrigo Muniz is likely to come in for his first appearance in Fulham colours at St Andrew's, the 20-year-old scored four times in 19 Brazilian Serie A matches prior to the move, with the Cottagers acquiring his services for £7.2 million according to Transfermarkt.

With so little experience in the senior game it is hard to gauge what we can expect immediately from Muniz, however, the fee suggests a lot at Championship level.

The deal speaks volumes to Fulham's leg up in the second tier this season, with the ability to spend over £7 million on a man set to play second fiddle to Aleksandar Mitrovic in this campaign.



https://footballleagueworld.co.uk/3-curveballs-that-marco-silva-could-throw-at-lee-bowyer-ahead-of-fulhams-cup-trip-to-birmingham-city/