Friday Fulham Stuff - 26/11/21...

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Muniz thrilled with Fulham start

Rodrigo Muniz has told the Brazilian press that he couldn't have wished for a better first three months with Fulham.

The former Flamengo forward, interviewed by Brazilian sports daily Lance! ahead of this weekend's Copa Libertadores final, says he has been blown away by the welcome he received from his new team-mates and that plenty of members of the squad have helped him settle into his new surroundings.

"For now I just have to be grateful. Of course there are a lot of changes, there's the language issue, the style of play, but these are things that I gradually pick up on. I'm young and it helps. In addition, I was very well received at the club, everyone made me feel comfortable and relaxed to work. I've learned and evolved a lot in recent months."

Muniz believes he has already demonstrated an ability to adapt to the unique demands of Championship football – and he has scored three goals in ten league appearances, only making his first start in the second tier against Derby last night.

"The main objective at that time was to be able to better understand how football is played here and adapt to the country. I believe that, despite the short time, I managed to evolve. I have been trying to learn, observe and, when I have the opportunity, I believe I have been able to perform well too. We have a very good team and a very united group, which is focused on pursuing our goals and we are managing to remain in the top positions."



https://hammyend.com/index.php/2021/11/muniz-thrilled-with-fulham-start/

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Frankie Looking Forward To Fulham Clash

Frankie McAvoy is looking forward to seeing his PNE side pit themselves against league leaders Fulham on Saturday afternoon.

North End welcome Marco Silva's side to Deepdale for a 12.30pm kick-off in front of the Sky Sports cameras, with the Cottagers looking to extend their eight-game unbeaten run and lead at the top of the Championship table.

The Lilywhites will have belief that they're up the challenge, though, having enjoyed a good record playing against sides in the top six so far this term.

Asked whether those results can provide confidence, Frankie told iFollow PNE: "The players should, it's not about me, it's about the players. They're the guys that make the difference.

"We can set them up and prepare them as best as we can, but they're the guys who need to go and execute it and deliver on the pitch.

    "We've done well in the main against teams that are in the top six and this gives us another opportunity and chance to go and pit ourselves against one of the top teams in the Championship and it'll give us a gauge of where we really are if I'm honest.

"We're sitting on 24 points, we'd all have loved to be sitting with more points and higher up the table, but we are where we are and what we need to do now is try to see if we can get a good run of sustainability about us and hopefully that can start on Saturday."

Fulham themselves have taken 42 points from their 19 games so far this campaign, and they've already got a nine-point gap between themselves and third place.

A point above AFC Bournemouth, who PNE beat 2-1 away from home earlier in the month, the two teams have been the early frontrunners and seem to be on their own in the race for automatic promotion.

Frankie added: "Them and Bournemouth are quite a wee bit ahead if we're honest. We went to Bournemouth with a game plan, we executed it and the players deserved immense credit for it.

    "We'll give Fulham that same respect, as we do with every team to be honest. Marco Silva's got them playing extremely well; they've got a squad that was geared up for playing in the Premier League, they've come down and the way you want to start is the way they've done it.

"He's got a fantastic striker in [Aleksandar] Mitrovic – God knows how many goals he'll score – hopefully he doesn't score on Saturday and hopefully the illness that kept him out on Wednesday night is the exact same on Saturday if I'm honest.

"But even then they've got fantastic players throughout their squad so it'll be a really, really tough game for us, but one I'm looking forward to, one the players should be looking forward to and one our supporters should be looking forward to.

"It's live on Sky, Saturday early kick-off, what better way to go and try and endear yourself a wee bit more to your support than going and putting in a good performance and winning the three points."

Away from the pitch, Frankie attended a memorial service for Mr Trevor Hemmings on Thursday morning, and the Scot was left even more in awe of what the club's owner achieved during his life.

"It was absolutely magnificent to be honest and I thought it was a fantastic, fitting tribute to a wonderful, wonderful man," said Frankie.

"Some of the speakers that spoke about him, some of the stories you heard about his life was incredible and I've obviously known him for just over four years, but some of the stories were remarkable. What a man he was.

    "I always knew in my short time speaking to him just how influential he was, a shrewd businessman, but what a wonderful, wonderful person he was.

"The amount of work he did for charities, the amount of times he bailed people out is just incredible to be honest.

"For Preston North End – I said at the time – we were privileged to have him here because he was the boss.

"Peter [Ridsdale's] fitting tribute to him from the football side ended with 'thank you boss' and there's no better words to say than that.

"Just thank you for everything you've done for Preston North End and hopefully we can get a good result against the table toppers on Saturday to probably finish on a high for him."

Hear more from Frankie in his full interview on iFollow PNE.



https://www.pnefc.net/news/2021/november/frankie-looking-forward-to-fulham-clash/

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Match Preview: Fulham (H)

Championship leaders Fulham and the Sky Sports cameras are visitors to Deepdale this Saturday for a 12.30pm kick-off.

Match Information
Venue: Deepdale
Date: Saturday 27th November, 12.30pm
Competition: EFL Sky Bet Championship (Matchday 20/46)
Kit: Home kit – available to order here!

Supporter Information

Tickets for this fixture will remain on sale right up until kick-off from the Deepdale ticket office, and supporters can also purchase online from MyPNE.Com or over the phone on 0344 856 1966.

You can enjoy the pre-match build-up to the game by visiting our fan zone, which will open at 10.30am until 12.15pm, with the usual offerings of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, food and live music. The fan zone will then reopen after the game.

Match Coverage

Due to this game being selected for Sky Sports coverage, this game will not be available to watch in the UK and Ireland or overseas on iFollow PNE.

Live audio commentary will be available as usual, though, with match passes on sale for £2.50, while an audio monthly pass can be purchased for £4.49. Subscribe here.

Matchday Programme

Shot-stopper Daniel Iversen is our cover star and featured interview for this weekend's edition of The One And Only, as the Dane discusses good memories against the Cottagers, his form on the pitch and much more.

Also inside this issue, Sean Maguire answers fan questions, while Brad Potts, Greg Cunningham and Jordan Storey all take part in player features.

You can get your hands on a copy from around the ground on Saturday for £3.50, or order a copy to arrive on your doorstep by clicking here.

PNE Team News

In his pre-match press conference, Frankie McAvoy said that North End had suffered a few knocks in the midweek victory over Middlesbrough and they would be assessed in training on Thursday.

Ched Evans made his return from injury in that game, finding himself on the scoresheet, and he could be looking to force his way into the starting XI for this fixture.

Longer-term absentees Izzy Brown, Connor Wickham and Josh Murphy will miss out.

The Opposition

After relegation from the Premier League last season, Scott Parker left his role as head coach and in to replace him came Marco Silva, formerly of Hull City, Watford and Everton.

He's done a fine job with the Cottagers so far, picking them up from last season's disappointment to take them to the top of the Championship.

They could have a depleted squad arriving at Deepdale on Saturday, though, with illness in the Fulham camp meaning many could miss out, including top scorer Aleksandar Mitrovic, Harry Wilson and club captain Tom Cairney.

Key Stats

Fulham have been free-scoring so far this campaign, bagging 48 goals in just 19 matches – that's 14 more than the division's next top scorers, AFC Bournemouth.

Responsible for 21 of their goals is Serbian forward Aleksandar Mitrovic, and he's always enjoyed playing against PNE, having netted seven times in his six matches against North End. He missed Wednesday's draw with Derby through illness though, so may not be available for this game.

The Cottagers have had fun on their travels so far this term, sitting second in the away table, and they've scored four or more goals on three occasions away from home so far, while conceding an average of one goal per game.

Our Last Meeting

Fulham came out 2-0 winners the last time North End faced the Cottagers, back in February 2020.

PNE forward David Nugent broke the deadlock by inadvertently heading into the back of his own net, while a late Aboubakar Kamara goal sealed the three points for Scott Parker's side, who would go on to earn promotion.

Man In The Middle

There will be a Premier League referee in charge of Saturday's fixture, with Chris Kavanagh taking the whistle.

Kavanagh, who has been a Select Group 1 referee since the 2017/18 campaign, will officiate his first PNE game since September 2017 when the Lilywhites drew 2-2 with Simon Grayson's Sunderland.

The official has overseen nine matches so far this season – the majority of them being in the top flight – while two have come in European competition.



https://www.pnefc.net/news/2021/november/match-preview-for-preston-north-end-vs-fulham-on-27-nov-21/

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BOURNEMOUTH TICKETS LIMITED

TICKETS FOR FULHAM'S HOME MATCH AGAINST AFC BOURNEMOUTH NEXT FRIDAY ARE NOW LIMITED IN AVAILABILITY.

Don't miss out as Marco Silva's side begin the festive period under the Cottage lights in a 7:45pm kick-off on Friday 3rd December.

Tickets are on General Sale*, with prices for this match below:

STAND   BLOCK   ADULT   65+ & 18-21   JUNIOR
Hammersmith End   All Blocks   £35   £30   £15
Putney Home   P1, P2, P3, P4   £35   £30   £15
Johnny Haynes Stand   E, EL, F, FL   £50   £45   £25
Johnny Haynes Stand   Remaining Blocks   £40   £35   £15
£2 discount on above prices for Restricted View seats. Adult members receive a £5 discount on the above ticket prices for an Adult Ticket, £2 discount for a 65+/ 18-21 Ticket, applies to 1 ticket per member per game. All adult and concession ticket prices increase by £5 on matchday.

Fans can secure their seats online at tickets.fulhamfc.com, by calling the Fulham FC Ticket Office on 0203 871 0810 (Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm) or in person from the Fulham Ticket Office (open Mon-Fri 9:30am-4:30pm).

Please note, supporters will need to ensure they are logged in to their OneFulham Account and have linked their ticketing account in order to purchase online. For more information on the OneFulham Account, please click here.

*This fixture is on general sale to home supporters only; all ticket bookings will be monitored and any bookings made by supporters who live in Bournemouth (and local areas) who do not hold a booking history with Fulham FC will be cancelled.



https://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2021/november/25/bournemouth-tickets-limited/