Marco Silva will hope to have a positive start to Fulham’s EFL Cup run as they host Championship side Bristol City at Craven Cottage.
Premier League teams playing in Europe are not used to seeing their sides playing in the second round of the EFL Cup. The Fulham fanbase might have hoped that was the case this season, but their team failed to qualify for a European competition last season, and here they are, ready to take on Bristol City in the EFL Cup second round.
Marco Silva will hope to kickstart the season with a win, and this clash might be the answer to that. Having opened their Premier League campaign with two eventful draws against Brighton and Manchester United, the Portuguese boss will be desperate for a galvanising win in midweek and at the weekend before the international break.
Meanwhile, a lack of transfer activity at the London outfit has once again cast doubts on whether they are capable of making it into a European competition; the EFL Cup might be a viable route. Silva will aim to have a deep run in this competition and possibly even win this, as they first have to get past Championship outfit Bristol City.
Meanwhile, Bristol City are in a decent vein of form since the start of the new season, with manager Gerhard Struber eyeing a monumental result against a top-flight opposition. Having opened their campaign in the Championship without a defeat in the three games, albeit gaining only one win in those clashes, there’s some level of optimism at the club.
Bristol City are aiming to get at least a playoff spot at the end of the season and also have a deep run in cup competitions. In the first round tie of this EFL Cup, they dispatched League Two side MK Dons with a 2-0 scoreline, and will aim to get past Fulham similarly in what could be a big statement of intent.
Team News & Tactics
Fulham
Marco Silva does not have many options to rotate his squad for the cup games as things stand, meaning he will possibly only make a few tweaks. The most obvious change might be that of Emile Smith Rowe, fresh from his equaliser against Manchester United, and he will replace teenager Joshua King in the attacking midfield role.
Timothy Castagne might also move back to the bench as Silva could favour Kenny Tete and Ryan Sessegnon as his full-back pairing for this clash. Without many options, he could hand Joachim Andersen and Calvin Bassey the central defensive slots, although there could be a change between the sticks.
Silva could hand their only summer recruit so far in Benjamin Lecomte a debut in place of Bernd Leno. There could be a few more tweaks on the frontline, as the manager might look to rest Alex Iwobi and bring in Adama Traore in his place, while Harry Wilson could get a run out.
Alternatively, he could keep Iwobi on the left and introduce Wilson from the start on the right wing. Mexican forward Raul Jimenez is pencilled in for a starting role in place of Rodrigo Muniz up front.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Lecomte; Tete, Andersen, Bassey, Sessegnon; Lukic, Berge; Wilson, Smith Rowe, Iwobi; Jimenez
Bristol City
Gerhard Struber will have to make this trip to Craven Cottage without several of his defensive stars. Those include Cameron Pring, Luke McNally and goalkeeper Max O’Leary.
The Bristol City boss is expected to go ahead with a back-three consisting of George Tanner, Robert Dickie, and Zak Vyner, while Joe Lumley will be expected to start between the sticks at Craven Cottage.
There are further injury issues with midfielder Joe Williams, sidelined with an ankle problem and will stay out for at least another two weeks. Struber could prefer a midfield partnership of Jason Knight and Adam Randell.
Mark Sykes is expected to start the game in the right wing-back slot, with Elijah Morrison on the left wing-back. Scott Twine and Anis Mehmeti will feature as the two No.10s behind striker Ephraim Yeboah as they will hope to get the best of the Fulham defence.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Lumley; Tanner, Dickie, Vyner; Sykes, Knight, Randell, Morrison; Twine, Mehmeti; Yeboah
Key Stats
Bristol City are unbeaten in their last four away games.
Bristol City are unbeaten this season across all competitions.
Fulham are yet to win a game this season after managing two draws in as many opening Premier League games.
Fulham are unbeaten in their last four home games across all competitions, with three wins and a draw.
Player to Watch
Emile Smith Rowe
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After a slow start to the campaign owing to a late entry into Fulham’s pre-season plans, owing to an injury issue, Smith Rowe burst onto the scene with a stellar equaliser against Manchester United. Marco Silva has opted to start teenager Joshua King in the attacking midfield slot in the two games so far, and the Frenchman wants a change in that direction.
Smith Rowe could convince the manager of a starting place at the weekend against Chelsea with a solid performance in midweek. Scoring regularly has been the hallmark of the former Arsenal star, and once again, he could make his presence felt by putting the ball past the Bristol City goalkeeper on Wednesday.
Prediction
Fulham 3-0 Bristol City
Bristol City might have ambitions to go deep into this cup competition, but the prospect of them beating the likes of Fulham seems a bit unrealistic. Despite their positive form in the Championship, they are facing a side who are eager to get their first win of the campaign.
Marco Silva will certainly demand a big win on home turf to get their season up and running. The team have shown positive signs in the two draws so far in the Premier League, as the manager will expect a win to build momentum ahead of the weekend’s clash against Chelsea. Fulham are widely expected to sweep past Bristol City and move into the third round of the EFL Cup.