EPL: Fulham V Wolves – Saturday, 11th September

Fulham V Wolves

Saturday, 11th September – 15:00 GMT

Fulham

League Position: 14th
League Form: DDD

The Cottagers are struggling to break out of their drawing habit right now having drawn their opening three league games of the season. However, all three results were positive considering two were away from home – a story of woe all in itself – and the other was against Manchester United at Craven Cottage, so despite not managing his first Premier League win as Fulham manager, Mark Hughes will be delighted nevertheless with how Fulham have begun the new term.

We mention it on every occasion whenever Fulham going travelling, to the point where you readers must be bored silly with the rubbish I consistently write, but we cannot emphasis enough just how important results at home are going to be for Fulham this year, especially as they’ve shown little signs of escaping an away voodoo which has plagued them throughout their Premier League tenure. And it is games against sides like Wolves which should have the Fulham players and management alike licking their lips at the prospect of obtaining maximum points, as these matches simply have to be converted into three points. However, Wolves are a bogey team for Fulham, both home and away, with Fulham having never beaten Wolves at Craven Cottage in a Premier League encounter, never even scored against them in fact, so obtaining three points on Saturday maybe tougher than first imagined.

The two previous Premier League encounters between the two have both finished 0-0, with Fulham losing the two away clashes 2-1 – Spooky I know! It doesn’t help that Wolves have made a brighter start to the season than them either, but this is nonetheless a golden opportunity for the Cottagers and Mark Hughes to get off the mark. Fulham were sensational at home last season when recording 11 wins in 19 home fixtures, with Liverpool & Man Utd among their scalps, and yet somehow Wolves was one of nine games which eluded them. Fulham cannot afford to let Wolves slip through the net again and the importance of picking up the win on Saturday cannot be emphasised enough!

Achieving his first win as Fulham coach has been made a great deal tougher by the news of several injury scares and doubts, with even there even a question mark hanging over their most influential player. Bobby Zamora would have earned an England call up had it not been for a thigh injury, the same thigh injury which could possibly keep him out of Saturday’s clash with Wolves. Damien Duff is another player which had no choice but to withheld his services from international duty, with the Ireland winger now a doubt too for Saturday with a calf injury, while keeper David Stockdale will face a late fitness and it could mean Mark Schwarzer, who was desperate to move out from Craven Cottage during the transfer window, returning to the starting eleven for the first time since the start of August.

Wolves

League Position: 7th
League Form: WDD

Mick McCarthy will take a Wolves team down to London buoyed with the start they’ve made to the beginning of the new league season, with the team currently residing in 7th position after an unbeaten start to the campaign. Their longest streak without losing last season was just four games, a run which could be equalled at least should they avoid defeat at the weekend at a venue where they’ve never lost a Premier League fixture, so it all bodes well for Wolves but with the priority each and every season being to maintain their Premiership status, McCarthy must guard against complacency.

The international break came at the wrong time for Wolves who were enjoying a promising start to the season following two successive draws off the back of an opening day win over Stoke City. That’s five points they’ve collected in their opening three encounters, two more points than they accumulated at the same stage last season. Mick McCarthy cannot praise his troops enough for the hard work they’ve put in in the early stages of the season, but the season is still wrong and unless they continue to put in efficient shifts in the near future, their fortunes could all change.

Unlike Fulham, Wolves didn’t have a problem playing away from home last season. In fact, they scored more goals on the road than they did at Molineux, six more in fact. Continuing in a similar vein, their only away encounter thus far came at Goodison Park, one of the toughest places to play at nowadays, and not only did they managed to find the back of Tim Howard’s net but they also took home a share of the spoils in a game few, including us, expected them to get anything from. And that’s the frustrating thing with Wolves; they look an average side at times, definitely so on paper, but yet McCarthy somehow seems to get another gear out of his players and so far his players have raised their game in every single Premier League match.

With Fulham never the most prolific of sides in front of goal, you get the feeling that a resolute performance at the back maybe enough for Wolves to nick this contest providing they remain clinical up front. They are, though, likely to be without Steven Fletcher, who missed out on earning two caps for Scotland because of a foot injury and is a major doubt for Saturday’s clash. Stephen Hunt has returned to light training but is nowhere near a return just yet.

Match Prediction: Draw – 3.50 Bet365

Weighing up all the information available to me and Fulham’s proneness to drawing games, we feel a small punt on the draw is fantastic value considering Wolves would be more than happy to take a point away from the capital and continue their unbeaten start to the season. The same can of course be said for Fulham who have also yet to taste defeat this season, but theirs a confident swagger about this Wolves side which says ‘Don’t back against me just yet’ and we won’t, not yet anyway.

Soccer-Betting Value Tip: 2-2 Correct Score – 19.00 WilliamHill

I’m going to be honest, I’m not much cop when it comes to predicting correct scores, think I’ve probably got one right in the last two years such is the drastic form I’m in with this specific market. However, this game should be tight, with a few goals, and I’m going out on a limb and predicting an exciting affair at Craven Cottage, which is always a gamble in itself. The last two meetings between these two have finished 0-0, a bad omen if ever I’ve seen one, but I’m sticking a few shillings on this encounter standing out from the rest. Neither of these will give in should they fall behind, so get on 2-2 at 18/1 (19.00) with WilliamHill.

Match Odds:

Fulham – 1.83 Boylesports
Draw – 3.50 Bet365
Wolves – 5.00 SkyBet