Saturday Fulham Stuff - 27/11/21...

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Preston North End boss Frankie McAvoy makes Fulham promotion claim

Preston North End boss Frankie McAvoy has claimed to the club's official website that he believes that Fulham have a squad that is geared for the Premier League.

The Lilywhites are set to play host to the West London side on Saturday in a lunchtime kick off at Deepdale and will be hoping that they can build upon their recent win over Middlesbrough.

Fulham by comparison were left feeling frustrated last time out in the Sky Bet Championship as bottom side Derby County held them to a 0-0 draw at Craven Cottage.

Speaking ahead of the game at the weekend, McAvoy was quick to emphasise just how highly he rates the league leaders:

"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."

A victory for North End could see them move into the top half of the table, with the Lancashire side having won three of their last six league outings as they slowly show signs of improvement.

Meanwhile a win for Fulham would guarantee that they stay top of the league ahead of the likes of Bournemouth and West Brom.

The Verdict

This is a pretty fair assessment by McAvoy of Fulham's credentials when you take into account just how heavily the West London side have invested in their current squad.

In addition to this they have also kept hold of the likes of Aleksander Mitrovic and Jean Michael Seri, with both players having proved that they are far too good to be playing in the second tier.

However there have been signs this season that they are a team that can ben got at and for that reason North End will certainly fancy their chances on home turf.

If their win over Bournemouth earlier in the season was anything to go by, they will have to take the minimal amount of chances that come their way during the 90 minutes.



https://footballleagueworld.co.uk/preston-north-end-boss-frankie-mcavoy-makes-fulham-promotion-claim/

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Frankie McAvoy hopes the extra 24 hours to prepare can pay off for Preston North End
Preston North End's opponents this weekend have two they do not this season – consistency, and millions of pounds in parachute payments.

Fulham will make the trip up from the capital to Deepdale on Saturday for the Championship clash in front of the Sky cameras (12.20pm).

The Cottagers currently sit top of the table despite only drawing 0-0 with Derby County in midweek.

They have the chief goal threat in the league in the shape of 21-goal striker Aleksandar Mitrovic, although the Serbian missed out on Wednesday due to illness.

Marco Silva's side have managed to find regular form this season, unlike North End, who regularly follow up good wins and performances with the opposite.

Fulham have the added bonus of being the big spenders in the division.

But in spite having a couple of things in their favour, Preston North End head coach Frankie McAvoy is not counting out an upset.

He said: "The biggest thing is about consistency, and having someone who is going to score – well, who knows how many. If he's available for Saturday hopefully he doesn't score any.

"They have a fantastic squad of players but you never know what could happen.

"When you come down from the Premier League, and if you can manage to keep the players and with the parachute payments you have, then you're in pole position.

"But if you look at a Grand Prix, it's not always the people in pole position that win the race.

"What we've got to do is be respectful to them and do our utmost to try and win the game.

"Sometimes in terms of team selection we look at who we might think is best suited to come up against an individual or a certain 
style of play a team will 
play.

"We'll certainly be paying a lot of attention to some of their players that we think could cause us issues, but to be honest we do that with everybody."

North End do have at least one advantage ahead of Saturday – time. The Lilywhites played on Tuesday whilst their opponents did so a day later.

McAvoy's side is looking good on the injury front, with Ched Evans making a return in the 2-1 win at Middlesbrough, while Matt Olosunde could well be involved for the first time this season.

The Deepdale boss said: "We played on Tuesday night and Fulham played on Wednesday.

"They are probably 24 hours behind schedule compared to our lads and hopefully we can prepare and use that to our advantage – but it's easier said than done.

"What we need to do is get everyone as fit and ready, and as willing and able, to be available for Saturday as best as we can.

"There are a few knocks that we really need to see to, we'll assess them and see how we are.

"We will give everyone who has a slight knock to have every opportunity to be ready to go."




https://www.lep.co.uk/sport/football/preston-north-end/frankie-mcavoy-hopes-the-extra-24-hours-to-prepare-can-pay-off-for-preston-north-end-3471939

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'Shocking': Some Fulham fans stunned by news about 53-year-old

Some Fulham fans on social media have been reacting after Slavisa Jokanovic was sacked by Sheffield United.

Jokanovic was given less than six months in charge of the Blades, but, after a poor start to the season, the Yorkshire outfit have decided to part ways with the Serbian.

Fulham fans are appalled by the fact the Blades have sacked Jokanovic, and it's not hard to understand why.

The 53-year-old is a Craven Cottage hero, having taken the Whites up back in 2018, and the fact that Jokanovic has been sacked after fewer than 20 league games is rather shocking in the eyes of Fulham fans.

Fulham supporters know better than anyone else what Jokanovic is capable of when he's given time, he took the London club on a 23-game unbeaten streak in the 2017/18 season after a slow start, but he won't get the chance to do the same in Sheffield.



https://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2021/11/26/shocking-some-fulham-fans-stunned-by-news-about-53-year-old/

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Preston North End boss Frankie McAvoy makes admission over Fulham ace

Preston North End boss Frankie McAvoy has admitted to the club's official website that he hopes that Fulham will be without the services of Aleksander Mitrovic this weekend.

The Serbian international missed the West London side's recent draw against Derby County through illness and was a notable absentee for Marco Silva's team as they drew a blank against the rock bottom Rams.

It remains to be seen if the striker will be back in time to face the Lancashire side this weekend, with Mitrovic no doubt being keen to get back to showing the sort of form that has seen him top the goal scoring charts in the division.

Now McAvoy has made the following admission about the player as his side gears up to host Fulham at Deepdale tomorrow:

"He's (Marco Silva) 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."

Mitrovic already has 21 goals in his opening 18 games in the Sky Bet Championship and will undoubtedly have Ivan Toney's record of 31 from the 2020/21 season for Brentford in his sights.

The Serb has now scored 74 goals for Fulham.

The Verdict

Stopping Mitrovic will be key to Preston achieving any sort of result against the league leaders – and that is a fact that almost goes without saying.

The striker is far and away the best finisher in the Championship and is probably averaging around two goals a game at present.

However North End have shown that they can mix it with the so called 'big boys' of the division in the past and will certainly take solace from the fact that they went away to Bournemouth and won this season.

If they can repeat those types of levels of performance, there is no reason why they can't cause an upset once more.



https://footballleagueworld.co.uk/preston-north-end-boss-frankie-mcavoy-makes-admission-over-fulham-ace/

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Juventus looking at Fulham's Aleksandar Mitrovic

Reports coming out of Italy are linking Italian giants Juventus with Fulham striker Aleksandar Mitrovic.

Mitrovic, 27, has been in scintillating form for Fulham this season. He's scored 21 goals in 18 Championship outings and created a further five, having been in prolific form for his country too.

Now though, reports coming out of Italy (via Football Italia) claim that Juventus director Federico Cherubini remained in London following his side's 4-0 defeat at Chelsea in the Champions League earlier this week to discuss potential transfer targets.

Football Italia write that Cherubini met with several Premier League clubs and intermediaries, and that one of the players he's interested in signing is the Championship striker Mitrovic.

Earlier this month it was revealed that Unai Emery's Villarreal are also interested in Mitrovic.

What are the chances of Mitro leaving Fulham this season?

There's no doubt that Mitrovic is an integral part of Marco Silva's current Fulham side. Should he be taken out of the equation then Fulham's chances of securing an immediate return to the Premier League would be severely dented.

But is it likely that Mitrovic would look to leave Fulham midway though this season? And is it likely that Fulham would want to sell him midway through this campaign?

The Serbian seems to be enjoying his football once again. Last season was a difficult one for him to take but he's found his footing once again, and the fans have quickly grown to love the 27-year-old again after his disappointing showing last season.

Fulham would surely not be open to selling Mitrovic at any price in January. They'll know that their chances of promotion are much higher with Mitrovic on board, and he's contracted at the club until 2026.

A move next summer makes more sense and if Mitrovic can go on and score, 40, maybe even 50 goals in the Championship this season then Fulham could look to make a pretty penny off him ahead of the next season should they want to.



https://the72.co.uk/256350/juventus-looking-at-fulhams-aleksandar-mitrovic/

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Preston North End's predicted line-up versus Fulham as Ched Evans justifies inclusion

Preston North End welcome league leaders Fulham to Deepdale on Saturday

It's arguably the toughest challenge of this Championship campaign but Preston North End will be eager to test themselves against the league leaders when Fulham visit on Saturday.

Marco Silva's outfit have been in phenomenal form of late, winning seven consecutive matches before Derby County held them to a goalless draw at Craven Cottage in midweek.

North End managed to snatch an unlikely victory away at Middlesbrough in preparation for this contest, atoning for the frustration that arose during the defeat to Cardiff City on Saturday.

Key to their success at the Riverside was the introduction of Ched Evans, the striker directing a bullet header in his first appearance back from injury as Frankie McAvoy's side launched an astonishing comeback.

With North End needing to ease the burden on talisman Emil Riis, the 32-year-old could be in line for just his third start of the campaign.

Whether that omits Sean Maguire depends on the shape McAvoy prefers, the PNE head coach flexing the option of altering to a 4-3-3 but the Lilywhites are expected to retain their 3-4-1-2 system in a bid to nullify Fulham's threat.

That would see Josh Earl and Tom Barkhuizen retain their spots on the flank while the midfield trio of Alan Browne, Ali McCann and Ben Whiteman can function in the engine room once more.

Daniel Iversen, who was instrumental in helping North End stay in the game on Tuesday night, will likely have a defensive three of Sepp van den Berg, Patrick Bauer and Andrew Hughes before him.

Predicted PNE lineup: Iversen; van den Berg, Bauer, Hughes; Barkhuizen, Whiteman, McCann, Browne, Earl; Evans, Riis



https://www.lancs.live/sport/football/football-news/pne-fulham-predicted-lineup-evans-22283978

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Tete wants Fulham to retain belief

Kenny Tete has urged his Fulham team-mates to retain their belief after the Whites' seven-match winning streak was ended by the midweek stalemate with Derby County.

Wayne Rooney's Rams battled hard to hold Fulham to a draw at Craven Cottage on Wednesday night, but the Dutch full back believes that – with an illness ripping through the squad earlier this week – the point was not the worst result for Marco Silva's side. Tete told FFC this afternoon:

"No, it's not the worst thing. We had some chances to finish it, we didn't do it but they didn't score, another clean sheet and one point. We are lucky that Bournemouth didn't win and unfortunately we didn't win the game. We're looking forward to tomorrow."

Tete shared his disappointment at being unable to contribute to Fulham's fine start to the season beyond August after being sidelined until earlier this month after tearing his hamstring.

"I was really frustrated. I thought I was in good shape, felt good and I didn't expect that the injury would be that long. I worked hard, really happy to be back. I feel good – I still feel sometimes something, but that's normal with this injury. It will get better game by game."

The right back was delighted to mark his return to the starting line-up against Barnsley with a trademark cross for Aleksandar Mitrovic to open the scoring.

"I was obviously really happy to get that assist. I worked hard for it and I'm happy that I could help the team. With Mitro, it's easy to score for them."

He knows that Preston will pose a particular test tomorrow afternoon, but feels that if Fulham remain true to Silva's gameplan then they stand every chance of coming away from Deepdale with three points.

"In the Championship, every week it is a battle, it is fight. Every team can beat everyone. If I am honest, I think we have to look at our qualities and I think that we have a lot of qualities. We have to believe in our strengths, play our game and that I know that it will be good."



https://hammyend.com/index.php/2021/11/tete-wants-fulham-to-retain-belief/

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Evans starts: The predicted Preston North End XI to face Fulham on Saturday

Not many Preston North End fans expected it, but the Lilywhites ran out 2-1 winners over Middlesbrough in midweek after two successive losses – although quite how they managed it is anyone's guess.

Chris Wilder's side were utterly dominant for the most part with PNE stopper Daniel Iversen keeping it down to just one before Ched Evans nodded in an equaliser.

And just a few minutes later a winner was gifted to the away side as Sol Bamba's attempted clearance fell right at the feet of Emil Riis, who dispatched his 12th goal of the season and sent PNE fans back home very happy.

Frankie McAvoy faces a different kind of test now in the form of table-topping Fulham this weekend – let's see how he may line-up against Marco Silva's illness-stricken side.

With the way that North End played for most of Tuesday evening you wouldn't blame McAvoy if he wanted to make a host of changes, but that would be very unlikely.

And in the predicted line-up there is only one change, with the scorer of the equaliser against Boro in Evans coming in for Sean Maguire.

Evans has been absent since August with an injury to his foot and after weeks of stepping up his recovery on the training pitch, he returned as a second half substitute at the Riverside.

His impact was telling as he roughed up the Boro back-line and then powered home a header to make it 1-1, and after what he showed he almost certainly has to be coming in to partner Emil Riis.

There will be other players chomping at the bit for a start with the likes of Daniel Johnson and Ryan Ledson being on the bench whilst defenders the likes of Greg Cunningham and Scott Sinclair make up a strong bench.

You also have to factor summer signing Matthew Olosunde into the mix now – the American is finally fit to appear after an achilles knock in pre-season and it remains to be seen if he's in the 18-man squad on Saturday.

He is one player that PNE fans are excited to see bombing down the right flank but the visit of the Cottagers may be too soon for a start.



https://footballleagueworld.co.uk/evans-starts-the-predicted-preston-north-end-xi-to-face-fulham-on-saturday/

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Fulham team news and predicted XI to face Preston North End

Fulham travel to Deepdale to face Preston North End in the Championship on Saturday afternoon.

Preston welcome Fulham in Saturday's early kick off in the Championship.

Marco Silva's side go into this weekend at the top of the Championship pile whilst Frankie McAvoy's Lilywhites find themselves in 14th.

Here we look at all the latest Fulham team news ahead of this weekend...

Fulham team news

Fulham have been struck by an illness outbreak in their camp this week, meaning that Silva could be forced to deploy a very makeshift side this weekend.

Both Aleksandar Mitrovic and Tom Cairney were absent from the midweek draw with Derby County due to illness, and now The Athletic's Peter Rutzler has revealed that those two, along with Harry Wilson, Bobby De Cordova-Reid, Harrison Reed and Antonee Robinson are all doubtful for this weekend's game.

Alongside those, the likes of Terence Kongolo (knee), Nathaniel Chalobah (hamstring), Ivan Cavaleiro (groin) are still sidelined.

Marek Rodak is set to be available, as per Rutzler, after missing the Derby County game because he previously came into contact with someone with Covid-19.

Predicted XI

Rodak (GK)

Bryan

Ream

Adarabioyo

Tete

Onomah

Seri

Kebano

F. Carvalho

Knockaert

Muniz

Despite having so many of their star players doubtful for Saturday's game, Fulham can still put out a side capable of winning the game.

Silva has plenty of quality and depth in his side – Fulham's 2020 promotion hero Joe Bryan should be a certainty to come in at left-back, with Josh Onomah the next best candidate to fill in alongside Jean Michael Seri in midfield.

Elsewhere, Rodrigo Muniz should keep his spot in the starting XI should Mitrovic be absent, whilst Antony Knockaert could come in for a rare start with several wingers set to be unenviable for Silva.

The game kicks off at 12:30pm on Saturday afternoon and is available to watch on Sky Sports Football and Sky Sports Main Event.



https://the72.co.uk/256372/fulham-team-news-and-predicted-xi-to-face-preston-north-end/

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Knockaert starts: The predicted Fulham XI to face Preston North End on Saturday

If there's one starting line-up that is going to be very interesting to look at on Saturday afternoon then it will be Fulham's.

The Cottagers make the long trip up north to Preston North End for a lunchtime kick off and they could have a number of senior players missing through illness.

Aleksandar Mitrovic's absence was felt heavily on Wednesday evening as they stumbled to a draw against bottom of the table Derby County and he could be missing again against the Lilywhites.

Tom Cairney, Harry Wilson, Harrison Reed, Antonee Robinson and Bobby Decordova-Reid are all affected as well according to Marco Silva so bearing all that in mind, let's look at how Fulham could potentially line-up at Deepdale.

There are some surprise names in there but it is taking into account that all the players that Silva mentioned as suffering with an illness potentially being missing.

Some played through it on Wednesday but the fact that it was a 0-0 draw may be very telling that things need to be changed if some are not at 100 per cent fitness.

If all six end up being ruled out then there will be some surprise recalls, none more-so than Anthony Knockaert who spent last season on loan at Nottingham Forest.

The Frenchman was in the squad for the first time against the Rams and came on in the 78th minute as the Cottagers searched for a winner.

And if Wilson isn't fit enough for the clash against PNE then Knockaert is the most likely to come into the equation, with potential recalls for Joe Bryan and Josh Onomah as well.

However on the other end of the spectrum all six players could be well enough to start at Deepdale and Fulham's team would look a lot different, with Mitrovic, Wilson, Robinson and Reed all almost guaranteed starters.



https://footballleagueworld.co.uk/knockaert-starts-the-predicted-fulham-xi-to-face-preston-north-end-on-saturday/

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Up next: Preston North End (a)

The Championship notoriously provides scant opportunity for respite and, with illness having surged through the Fulham camp ahead of the draw with Derby, that's certainly true this week. Saturday lunchtime sees Marco Silva's side travel to Deepdale to take on Preston North End, who will be buoyed by their impressive midweek win over Middlesbrough, with genuine question marks over the composition of their side.

Silva suggested that Fulham will make as late a decision as possible on selection with possibly as many as nine players have been laid low by a sickness bug that wrecked havoc with their preparations for the clash with Derby on Wednesday. Aleksandar Mitrovic and Tom Cairney were the headline absentees against the Rams, but several starters battled through that stalemate despite not having been able to train in the lead up to the fixture. It seems as if Harry Wilson's early substitution – which offered a rare sighting of Anthony Knockaert – was linked to the Welsh winger's lack of fitness. It is not known at this point whether further changes to the starting line-up will be necessary in Lancashire, although Marek Rodak is available again having observed the coronavirus protocols.

Fulham were far from their fluent best against Derby, but they fashioned enough chances to have beaten the league's bottom side – who defended with real desire and determined – and perhaps would have done on another day. You have to wonder whether the outcome would have been dramatically different had Jean-Michael Seri's swerving shot dipped into the net rather than crashing against the angle of post and bar. The Whites definitely missed Aleksandar Mitrovic but I felt Rodrigo Muniz gave a good account of himself against two wily centre backs – and had he scored that sensational scissor kick, we would have been raving about it for years to come.

Wednesday evening's events showcased the phenomenal talents of Fabio Carvalho, who was head and shoulders above everyone else on the pitch. All his dazzling display lacked was a goal – and the energetic youngster almost did it all himself. He fashioned Fulham's first opening with a brilliant burst down the right, almost squeezed in a sidefooted shot in the second half that stroke the base of the post and was denied by a brilliant reaction save from Kelle Roos as the Derby goal came under sustained pressure. In general play, Carvalho was bright, positive and committed opposition defenders with his every movement – there's no doubting he could have a very successful career at the highest level.

There was ultimately disappointment that Fulham were unable to maintain their winning run – and, as Kenny Tete intimated this afternoon, it is important that Silva's side channel that frustration effectively tomorrow afternoon. Preston won't be easy opposition, as North End look like they are beginning to find their feet following a sticky start under Frankie McAvoy. They have won four of their last seven and have shown significant resilience in coming from behind on two occasions. Preston inflicted Bournemouth's first league defeat of the season early this month and will be similarly primed to feed on any Fulham frailties.

McAvoy may well opt to reward the eleven that beat Middlesbrough by remaining unchanged tomorrow, which would mean Ched Evans settling for another place on the bench after marking his first appearance in three months with a vital goal on Tuesday. They are certainly without long-term absentees in Izzy Brown, Connor Wickham and Josh Murphy – who would make a real difference to any side at this level – but Fulham would be wish to watch for the talented Northern Ireland international Ali McCann as well as top scorer Emil Riis, who has registered twelve goals already this term, including the late winner at Middlesbrough.

MY FULHAM XI (4-2-3-1): Rodak; Tete, A. Robinson, Adarabioyo, Ream; Reed, Seri; Kebano, Wilson, Carvalho; Mitrovic. Subs: Gazzaniga, Hector, Odoi, Bryan, Cairney, Decordova-Reid, Muniz.



https://hammyend.com/index.php/2021/11/up-next-preston-north-end-a-3/

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Preston Matchday Preview

Preston North End v Fulham | Saturday 27th November 2021 | 12.30pm | Deepdale | #PNEFUL

The opposition

    Results have been a mixed bag for Preston this season, which accounts for their current position of 14th in the standings. After starting the season with three straight defeats, they then won two on the bounce before drawing their next five.
    Their recent results have been fairly inconsistent but the Lancashrie outfit have at least bolstered the win column of late, securing victories in four of their last seven. The other three were all defeats, though.
    Going into Saturday, North End will take confidence from their record against sides at the top end of the table. In addition to taking four points off Bournemouth and West Brom, they also defeated Luton and Coventry who were both in the Play-Off spots at the time.

Preston team news

Izzy Brown, Connor Wickham and Josh Murphy will all miss out, while head coach Frankie McAvoy will make late calls on a number of players who picked up knocks in Tuesday's win at Middlesbrough.

Fulham team news

Fulham's squad strength will be dependent on how quickly a number of our players recover from the illness which depleted our ranks on Wednesday. Marek Rodák, though, is available after missing the Derby draw due to protocols.

Tickets

Preston will be selling to Fulham fans on the day (no price increase), with the Away Ticket Office open from 10.30am.

Weather

It will be dry at lunchtime in Preston but very fresh, with temperatures just three degrees.

Coverage

The match will be broadcast live on Sky Sports. Commentary from Gentleman Jim and Jamie Reid will be available on FFCtv.

Player insight

Kenny Tete wants Fulham to concentrate on their own game when they travel to Deepdale for Saturday's early kick-off.

"In the Championship, every week it's a battle, a fight," he told FFCtv. "You know every team can beat or lose to everyone else.

"We have to look to our qualities. I think we have a lot of quality and we have to believe in our strengths and play our game, and then I know 100 per cent that it will be good."

Form

Preston: WWLLW

Fulham: WWWWD

Pre-match quotes

"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."

Frankie McAvoy
Preston Head Coach

"We never find excuses for anything, even if something disturbs our preparation. We must look forward for the next one and try to go there to finish off the week on a high with three points."

Marco Silva
Fulham Head Coach

https://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2021/november/26/preston-matchday-preview/

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2 Fulham dilemmas facing Marco Silva ahead of Preston North End match today

League leaders Fulham will be desperate to get back to winning ways at the weekend as they face Preston North End at Deepdale, undoubtedly going into this Saturday lunchtime kick-off as favourites.

Marco Silva's men slipped up in midweek as they were held to a 0-0 home draw against bottom side Derby County, coming within centimetres of winning the game late on through Rodrigo Muniz but failing to make the breakthrough against the gritty Rams.

They were without star striker Aleksandar Mitrovic through illness on Wednesday night though, something that seemingly spread through the Cottagers' camp prior to their tie against Wayne Rooney's side and made this result more forgivable for those that were expecting a comfortable win at Craven Cottage.

The one positive they could take from that evening was the fact title competitors AFC Bournemouth also slipped up, only being able to draw 1-1 against Millwall and that has kept the West London outfit at the top of the tree as they make the long journey to Lancashire.

This afternoon's opponents Preston claimed a crucial 2-1 away win at Middlesbrough in their last outing, with Ched Evans and Emil Riis striking late on to take all three points and have potentially kept manager Frankie McAvoy in a job with that.

Focusing more on the visitors though ahead of kick-off at 12:30, we have selected two Fulham dilemmas Silva will need to deal with for this match.

Worth risking Mitrovic?
Speaking to The Athletic's Peter Rutzler in his pre-match press conference, Silva revealed the Serbian was a doubt for today's game because of the same illness that kept him out of the game in midweek, in what could be a crushing blow to their chances of getting back to winning ways.

He, along with five others currently suffering from the illness outbreak, were assessed yesterday before a final decision was reached on their availability and Cottagers fans will be praying that all six can play a part this weekend.

This puts Silva in a difficult position, because it will ultimately be the 44-year-old who makes this call.

His main forward's wellbeing must be at the top of the club's priorities – and the nature of his absence should mean he can return in time for a crucial top-two clash against Bournemouth next Friday.

But is it worth risking him today after seeing his side fire a blank again Derby? Bringing back a semi-fit Mitrovic to start may be a confidence blow to young forward Muniz – but the team has to come first and the 27-year-old would give them the best chance of a victory at Deepdale.

Winning today would secure their position at the top of the table ahead of their tie with Scott Parker's men, giving them a real psychological edge going into what could be a crucial game for both sides in their quest to secure an automatic return to the Premier League.

Stick or twist at left-back?
Despite being one of the players suffering from the illness outbreak, Antonee Robinson was deemed fit enough to start against the Rams three days ago.

Helping his side to keep a clean sheet, the United States international arguably deserves to keep his place in the starting lineup, even if he still isn't feeling 100%.

But fellow left-back Joe Bryan can count himself unlucky not to be involved more having been on the bench on Wednesday, as someone who isn't afraid to get forward with his attacking threat and is more than capable of doing a job in the Championship.

He has made just three league starts this season – but Robinson's current situation could be a good opportunity for the second-tier outfit's manager to give Bryan a chance.

Should the Portuguese man risk unsettling a defence that kept a clean sheet in their last game though? That's a question he will need to answer before the team sheets are released at 11:30 this morning.



https://footballleagueworld.co.uk/2-fulham-dilemmas-facing-marco-silva-ahead-of-preston-north-end-match-today/

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Mitro's on fire, Johnny Nic is... flummoxed. How good is he really?

Aleksandar Mitrovic is tearing up the Championship again. Time to wonder if the Fulham striker can ever prove himself in the Premier League.

Who's this then?
Aleksandar Mitrovic is a 6' 2", 27-year-old Serbian striker who plays for Fulham. He is his country's all-time top goal scorer.

His career started in 2011 at Serbian third tier side Teleoptik and his first pro contract was at Partizan the following year. He immediately made a good impression knocking in 15 in 36 games. That brought him to the attention of Anderlecht to whom he was transferred for €5million.

His two seasons in the Belgian top flight were very productive and saw him net 44 times in just 90 games. So, in 2015 Newcastle United spent £13million on him. However, he never really seemed to get going and they were relegated. Over 72 games in the North East, he scored just 17 in just over two seasons. In the Championship he only hit the net six times in 29, proving that it wasn't just the top flight he struggled in. Most had all but given up on him when Fulham took him on loan in the Championship. In one of the most remarkable career turnarounds, he was an immediate success. His 12 goals in 17 league games helped them get promotion. So naturally, the club signed him for £22million, but his 11 in 39 the following year saw them relegated. However, 26 in 41 the next season got them promoted again, but four in 31 sent them back down once again. Boo.

This season he is on a streak of form unparalleled in his or almost anyone else's career having got 21 goals to his name in 18 games and has made five assists too. With Fulham looking a good bet for promotion once more.

Internationally he has played for Serbia 69 times and scored a mighty impressive 44 goals. He is probably the best striker in Europe who plays outside of the top flight and is reportedly the highest-paid striker in the Championship. Has anyone had such an up and down career as a striker? The feeling is understandably widespread that he top notch in the second tier but can't hack it in the Premier League. His career total so far is 379 club games and 160 goals. For Fulham is 74 in 149 games.

Why the love?
He's a star at Craven Cottage for several reasons. Firstly, obviously his goals have got them promoted twice and probably thrice. Secondly, as a big physical striker, he's an easy player to love.  He can do the battering ram thing. He can bullet a header and he can hold off defenders whilst lashing the ball home.

His goalscoring records suggests he can't really cut it in the top flight of English football but is getting ever more lethal in the second tier. This is an odd phenomenon, especially in his case, because he's done this flip flopping consistently. How can the game be so different from one league to another?

Notably, he didn't play against Derby County this week and previously goal-rich Fulham struck a 0-0 against Wayne Rooney's Poor Boys. He is absolutely crucial to how Fulham play and to the threat they pose. Although they're top of the table, Mitro has scored 21 of their 48 goals, that's 14 more goals more than the nearest team.

In October his xG was 5.27, but he scored eight times from 21 shots. Overall, this season his xG is 15.41. So, he's over-performing massively right now. He's scored 21 from just 79 shots. Six of those are headers. He's even outperforming his assists xG.

At the core of his success is his ability to hit the ball first time. Like many of the top goal scorers, he leaves little time to think, it comes to him, he hits it, he scores. While that seems easy, it is actually a distillation of the scoring art right down to its basic principles. See ball, score goal is his philosophy. This also tends to mean he's hitting the ball early, before goalkeepers or defenders get set. He also takes penalties, which are obviously moments he has time to think about what he's doing and while he regularly scores, the keeper usually guesses the right way, maybe he gives it away too easily and his shot has to be accurate and powerful, which is exactly what didn't happen in the penalty miss against Scotland.

He isn't the quickest player you'll ever see and his game isn't the most sophisticated. Boss Marco Silva has been wise not to complicate his game. His job is plain and simple: goals. And who can complain at that?



https://www.football365.com/news/opinion-john-nicholson-whats-so-great-aleksandar-mitrovic-fulham-serbia-newcastle

[WhiteJC]