Fulham host Everton on Saturday with kickoff at 10am EST on Peacock.
Just getting the lineup from Fulham will be an exciting moment on Saturday because everyone is available except Lukic! There are so many questions:
- Will Tete be able to get the start despite not getting any time last weekend?
- Will Muniz come in as a sub? Remember, the last time we saw Muniz was when he came on as a sub against Everton, but then immediately went out again on injury. Hopefully he doesn't meet the same fate this time.
- Will Cuenca or Bassey get the start next to Andersen? Both had moments of sub-par play against Manchester United, but they have both generally been solid players.
- Will Robinson or Sessegnon get the start at LB? I don't think Robinson has looked good at all since his return and I would prefer Sessegnon. However, Elizabeth on the Fulhamish preview of this match, made a good case for keeping Sessegnon and Kevin as a substitute pairing in case additional firepower is needed in the second half since they seem to work well together. I could get behind that option too.
- Will we get to see Bobb?
Despite Kevin's goal against Manchester United, I'd be surprised if Chukwueze doesn't get the start, but I suppose that is a possibility too.
The two teams are even on points and goal differential, so Fulham only sits above Everton based on goals scored. Everton will be without Jack Grealish, possibly for the rest of the season. They have done very well on the road earning 18 points, 2 more than they have earned at home - pandemic season form, despite a beautiful new stadium. Meanwhile Fulham has been very good at home, so this is an interesting pairing. Everton has also been stingy when it comes to giving up goals so Fulham will have their work cut out for them. I am hopeful though with an almost fully healthy squad and some exciting attacking potential. Fulham's away performance at Everton was one of the worst of the season, so let's hope we don't see a discouraging repeat on Saturday.
On form, Sess should be getting the start. Jedi is not 100%. Something is off. It was sad to see him lose footraces and miss tackles last weekend.
I'd like to see Kenny back. Cuenca or Bassey? Hard to say. Silva hates to change things that are working, but will he see Cuenca's mistake on the first goal last weekend as a reason to make a switch? We'll find out.
I wish Silva would give Josh King more time in matches. ESR has been playing well and deserves to be starting, but Josh offers a change of pace and that sublime turn in the midfield that breaks through the lines. He needs more than 5-10 minutes to make an impact. Does a reasonable lineup exist that gets ESR, Iwobi, Berge, and King on the field at the same time?
With Muniz back, we may not see Kusi-Asare in the matchday squad again this season, except for the FA Cup perhaps.
Like Micah, I hope the team comes out motivated to show that away Everton game was just an accident.
I'm keeping fingers crossed for no more injuries. We need our key players healthy if we're to have a chance at a late-season push.
A note about Kusi-Asare. He scored two goals in the U21 5-0 demolition of spam so will definitely not be in the team tomorrow. But I wonder why we kept him at all. Is he that much better than our own academy options?
