The 2024/25 Premier League season resumes this weekend with Gameweek 36. The latest round of fixtures starts on Saturday with four simultaneous matches, including Fulham vs Everton at Craven Cottage.
Fulham might consider the 2024/25 season a success after taking another step in the right direction under Marco Silva. However, the West London club might be ruing the dropped points that have cost them the opportunity to qualify for a European competition in the last few weeks. The Cottagers have won only one of their four most recent Premier League outings, falling to 11th in the standings.
On the other hand, Everton’s form has petered out since securing Premier League safety. While the players hit the ground running when David Moyes returned to Goodison Park, they have blown hot and cold in the last few weeks. The Toffees have won only one of their ten most recent top-flight games, with the run ending hopes of a top-half finish.
The reverse fixture saw Everton come from a goal down to hold Fulham to a 1-1 draw, with Beto scoring the equaliser. The Hard Tackle looks closer at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Marco Silva has greeted a positive update on the team news front ahead of his side’s latest fixture. The Fulham manager will be bereft of the services of only three first-team players vs Everton on Saturday.
Andreas Pereira will return this weekend after missing last week’s game against Aston Villa due to a knock. However, Harrison Reed (calf), Reiss Nelson (hamstring), and Rodrigo Muniz (achilles) remain on the sidelines.
Bernd Leno will take his spot between the sticks, with Fulham lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him vs Everton on Saturday. The backline should feature Kenny Tete, Joachim Anderson, Calvin Bassey, and Antonee Robinson.
As for the midfield unit, there is no looking past Sasa Lukic and Sander Berge in the double pivot in the middle of the park. Andreas Pereira will reprise the no. 10 role, with Emile Smith Rowe, Alex Iwobi, and Raul Jimenez completing the numbers in the final third. So, Ryan Sessegnon will be a backup option on the bench for the home side.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Leno; Tete, Andersen, Bassey, Robinson; Lukic, Berge; Smith Rowe, Andreas Pereira, Iwobi; Jimenez
Like his counterpart in the Fulham dugout, David Moyes has no new injury concerns hampering his preparations ahead of the trip to Craven Cottage. The Everton manager will be without three first-team players on Saturday.
James Tarkowski is the most notable absentee, with the veteran defender done for the 2024/25 season due to a hamstring injury. The English centre-back accompanies Orel Mangala (knee) and Jesper Lindstrom (hernia) on the sidelines.
Jordan Pickford is an automatic pick between the sticks, with Everton lining up in a 4-3-3 formation in front of him vs Fulham on Saturday. The backline should feature Ashley Young, Jake O’Brien, Jarrad Branthwaite, and Vitaliy Mykolenko.
As for the midfield unit, Abdoulaye Doucoure should line up alongside Idrissa Gueye and James Garner in the middle of the park. Finally, Beto will lead the line for Everton against Fulham, with Iliman Ndiaye and Dwight McNeil being the two wide attackers.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Pickford; Young, O’Brien, Branthwaite, Mykolenko; Gueye, Garner, Doucoure; McNeil, Beto, Ndiaye
While Dwight McNeil, Beto, and Raul Jimenez were viable candidates for this section, we have picked Alex Iwobi as the Player to Watch for Saturday’s Premier League game between Fulham and Everton at Craven Cottage.
The Nigerian international has been an exceptional performer throughout his spell with Fulham, becoming a utility man due to his ability to reprise roles in the midfield and offensive units. Meanwhile, Iwobi’s next strike will ensure Fulham will end a top-flight season with two players scoring ten or more goals for the first time in 58 years, with Raul Jimenez already reaching the mark. So, he will be eager to make that happen.
With both teams struggling for wins, there might not be much to separate them this weekend. In addition, with Everton being the draw specialists in the Premier League this season, all signs point to Saturday’s match ending in a stalemate, even though Fulham’s games hardly end all square. The Hard Tackle predicts a 1-1 draw between the two bottom-half teams.
