Fulham v Aston Villa | Saturday 17th February | 3pm | Craven Cottage | #FULAVL
The opposition
- Aston Villa have continued their excellent progression under Unai Emery this season, and will fancy their chances of securing a Champions League spot, currently sitting a point and a position behind fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur.
- For some time, a title challenge looked feasible. It’s still not beyond the realms of possibility, but two wins from seven has seen them fall off the pace somewhat.
- The Villans were in sparkling form the last time they were on their travels, storming into a 4-0 lead inside half an hour at Bramall lane, eventually defeating Sheffield United by five goals.
Fulham team news
Fulham will welcome Calvin Bassey and Alex Iwobi back to the squad following the conclusion of the Africa Cup of Nations, but Raúl Jiménez is out.
Aston Villa team news
With Tyrone Mings long-term injured, and Ezri Konsa and Diego Carlos picking up knocks recently, Pau Torres’ return to the matchday squad for last weekend’s defeat by Manchester United could prove to be a timely one, with Villa looking fairly thin at centre-back. Influential midfielder Boubacar Kamara suffered a knee injury against United which could rule him out for the season, while Emi Buendia and Jhon Duran are also out.
Tickets
This match has sold out.
Weather
While it is currently forecast to be dry in SW6 come kick-off, the Met Office has issued a yellow warning for rain in London. Temperatures should be fairly consistently around the 13 degree mark.
Player insight
Rodrigo Muniz wants Fulham to make home advantage count when we take on Aston Villa.
“Always when we play against Aston Villa, it’s a difficult game,” he said. “They have a great team, but let’s see. We’ve had one week to train, before we play against a good team, Aston Villa, and we are ready to play and to try to win.
“I think when we play at home, we have been stronger than away. We feel strong at home.
“It’s always good when we play there, because the fans help us a lot when we attack. The fans are unbelievable.
“I think now our team is more confident, and we are ready to play.”
Coverage
FFCtv subscribers can listen to live commentary from Gentleman Jim and Jamie Reid.
Fulham Flutter
Win prizes while supporting the Foundation by playing the Fulham Flutter!
Early bird
Fans can take advantage of our early bird offers until 2.30pm! Full Early Bird pricing can be viewed here.
Bag policy
Bags larger than A4 in size will not be permitted entry to the stadium. Please see our bag policy for full details, and information on our left luggage facility.
Form
Fulham: DLDDW
Aston Villa: DLWLL
Top scorers
Fulham: Bobby De Cordova-Reid, Raúl Jiménez (5)
Aston Villa: Ollie Watkins (11)
Matchday programme
The 2023/24 season has been an historic one for Tim Ream. His start against Sheffield United saw the defender become the first Fulham player since Simon Morgan, some 26-and-a-half years earlier, to reach the 300-appearance milestone for the Club. A few months later, Ream signed a one-year extension to his contract which will see him remain a Fulham player until the summer of 2025, by which point he will have been at the Club for a decade.
“When you join a new club, you never think you will be in a position to sign a contract that brings you to 10 years at one club,” commented Ream, in an interview for this Saturday’s matchday programme. “To have that opportunity, to be one of those players, is great.”
Elsewhere in Saturday’s matchday programme, we speak to former Whites midfielder Richard Carpenter in ‘The Ex-Files’, while we explore players to have worn the Fulham number 19 shirt in ‘Magic Numbers’.
Priced at £4, you can pick up a copy of the programme on the day or online.
