English Premier League: Match Preview - Fulham versus Sunderland
Mark Hughes’ men will host Steve Bruce’s men on Saturday at Craven Cottage in the English Premier League competition. Both managers were previously teammates in Manchester United twenty years ago. The Red Devils went on to win
the Football Association Cup, which was the first piece of silverware Sir Alex Ferguson managed to obtain at Old Trafford and both managers proceeded to win many more under the Scottish manager’s reign. In addition to Hughes and Bruce, three other players
of that Red Devils team have secured managerial positions in various clubs, but only the Fulham and Sunderland managers are currently in charge of sides playing in the Premier League.
Fulham have done miserably this season and will be looking for inspiration from their previous season, as around this time last year the Cottagers managed to secure three points after beating Sunderland at Craven Cottage in a match,
which saw only one goal. It had been their fifth win in front of their fans at home. Hughes’ team will need a win as they currently rest at seventeenth position (on goal difference), which is only a spot above the three relegation standings. Sunderland sit
ten spots above the Cottagers and will be looking for another win after acquiring three points at the expense of West Ham United in a match last weekend. Another high point for the Black Cats this season has been their demolition of Carlo Ancelotti’s Chelsea,
where Steve Bruce’s side beat the title defenders three goals to nil. They have now obtained three wins from their previous six fixtures. The Black Cats record this season shows the team as being hard to break down on home turf, but their away record suggests
otherwise. They suffered a 3-2 thrashing at the hands of Wolves at Molineux and lost in dismal fashion to West Bromwich Albion and Newcastle United. Steve Bruce’s side have now secured victory in away games just twice in their previous 26 Premier League fixtures.
The team will be seeking inspiration from their triumph against Fulham’s neighbours, Chelsea and will be looking to beat another West London team this weekend.
Sunderland have won five matches compared to Fulham’s two this season so far and have obtained twenty-three points to Fulham’s fifteen from sixteen matches. The Black Cats have drawn one less than Fulham’s nine matches and have
lost two less than Fulham’s five. The Cottagers have scored sixteen goals, four less than Steve Bruce’s side and have conceded two more goals than Sunderland’s eighteen this season. Sunderland have the worst disciplinary record, with twenty seven yellow cards
as compared to the Cottagers’ nineteen and three red cards to the Cottagers’ zero.
Previous meetings between the two sides have not exactly been a goal riot as in the previous four Premier league encounters; only two goals have been scored. This fixture will not be the first time the two teams will lock heads
on this exact date. The two sides had met on 11th December 1971 where Sunderland reigned supreme by two goals to one, in a fixture played out in the second division. Mark Hughes’ team may have the upper hand, owing to their manager’s record against
sides previously managed by Steve Bruce. Hughes has secured victory in the previous five matches. One of those games was when Hughes was in charge of Manchester City, and ‘The Blues’ beat Sunderland last year in December. The match was Mark’s last as in charge
of City and it ended with the score line of 4-3.
Fulham’s injury worries include Matthew Briggs with a calf problem, Moussa Dembele with an ankle problem, Rafik Halliche, who has an injured thigh, and Philippe Senderos with an Achilles problem. Fredrik Stoor and Bobby Zamora
are said to miss this fixture as well with a groin and leg problem respectively.
On the other hand, Craig Gordon and Asamoah Gyan may not feature for their Sunderland side, as they are nursing a hamstring injury (Gordon) and a toe problem (Gyan). Titus Bramble, Fraizer Campbell and Michael Turner are suffering
from knee problems. Trevor Carson will not play due to his injured shoulder while Matthew Kilgallon has a back injury and Andy Reid is suffering from a hamstring problem.
Given the statistics and injury line-ups, the game is likely to end in a draw, as both teams have drawn half or more of their games this season.
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