Fulham

Aston Villa have got next week's Europa League semi-final against Nottingham Forest to look forward to, but they are also trying to secure Champions League football through their league position.

So I don't see Villa boss Unai Emery making many changes for this game, but it is still a hard one to call because I am not sure what to expect from Fulham.

Looking at Fulham's recent form, they have not scored in their past two games - but that just makes me think they will definitely score on Saturday.

Villa are on a good little run of results but they have not won any of their past four league away games. I don't want to say this will be a draw, but I think I have to.

Sutton's prediction: 1-1

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Fulham boss Marco Silva has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game against Aston Villa at Craven Cottage (kick-off 12:30 BST).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• On team news, Silva said it's "really bad news" to lose Alex Iwobi to injury, but he should be back before the end of the season.

• He added that Kenny Tete is "back on the grass" and Kevin is back doing individual work.

• The Portuguese boss was also asked about his side's struggles in front of goal after failing to score in five of their last six games. He said last Saturday's goalless draw against Brentford "was not good to watch" because of their own performance.

• He also said: "We need some inspiration, some creativity as well. We are working on it and it's not about just the front players."

• Silva said there has been "no news" on the situation regarding his contract, which runs out at the end of the season.

• On whether Fulham can achieve European football for next season, Silva said it will be a "big battle", and he sees every game now as a "final".

• On facing Villa this weekend, Silva said: "They have been better than us. If you want to change it, and that's what we want, that's our ambition, we have to be close to our best version."

• He also said an early kick-off at Craven Cottage can help his team "beat these sides".

Follow all of Friday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

Got a question about Fulham? Get in touch here and we'll seek answers from our experts

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A few weeks ago, fans at Craven Cottage were dreaming of a place in Europe for next season, but the season now rests on a knife-edge with Fulham sat 12th in the table.

The Cottagers have failed to score in four of their last five Premier League matches, that's as many blanks as in their previous 25 games combined. And their struggles in attack are highlighted by their poor shot conversion rate. From their 71 shots over these five games, they have scored just three times, a success of just 4.2%.

And next up is Aston Villa, who many at Craven Cottage will be looking at as inspiration as a side that has been back in the Premier League for only a year longer than Fulham, but have played in Europe for successive seasons and are close to securing another year among the elite as they currently sit in the Champions League places.

Against sides at the upper end of the table, Fulham really struggle. They've won just one of their last nine against teams starting the day in the top half (D2, L6).

It could be a busy day for Bernd Leno as Villa are on a hot streak in front of goal with 12 goals in four games in all competitions this month.

But the German goalkeeper won't be unnerved by such stats, as one of Fulham's most consistent performers, starting each of their last 145 Premier League matches, the longest ongoing run of any player for any side.

Only five players have had longer runs of starts in Premier League history: Brad Friedel (310), Tim Howard (210), Pepe Reina (183), David James (twice, 166 and 158), and Kasper Schmeichel (149).

It could be a testing day for Leno and the hosts as they come up against a clinical, in-form Villa side, who have shown Fulham what it takes to break away from the mundane but commendable life in the Premier League's mid-table.

Fulham are looking at contingency plans in case manager Marco Silva decides to leave when his contract expires at the end of this season. (The i), external

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Fulham have extended the contract of Ryan Sessegnon until the end of the 2026-27 campaign.

The 25-year-old told club media, FFCtv that Fulham is "the club that I've always wanted to be at" and he aims to "finish the season strongly".

Sessegnon made his professional debut for Fulham aged 16 years and 81 days in 2016 in the Championship, but left Craven Cottage to join Tottenham Hotspur in 2019.

After a four-year hiatus from Fulham, the academy graduate became Marco Silva's first signing as manager at the west London club in 2024.

Throughout Sessegnon's career at Fulham, the full-back has 50-plus goal involvements for and has featured in 26 of the 33 Premier League games this season.

Drew Heatley
Fan writer

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Beware of jealousy, they say.

But I find it hard not to be when I look at clubs of a similar size, in similar situations, handling it far better than us.

Marco Silva's reluctance to sign a new contract has hampered our season. It is something that is becoming increasingly difficult to argue against.

It becomes more frustrating when you look at Bournemouth, who continued to perform despite uncertainty surrounding boss Andoni Iraola, even before he took the decision to inform the club of his intention to leave in the summer.

The players' ability to shut out the noise, coupled with the manager's move to bring certainty to the situation, respecting fans and the club alike - while still helping the side succeed - are in contrast to the confusion, mystery and inertia surrounding our Portuguese coach's future.

It has shown on the pitch. We have failed to score a goal in five of our last six games and once again look likely to fizzle out at the most crucial part of the campaign, when so much remains on the table.

The drab stalemate at Brentford encapsulated this perfectly. The players - and manager - appeared to be going through the motions. We are not in trouble, but we are not showing any ambition to go further either.

It all leads me to wonder whether it is best to just part ways. But I am wary of being careful what I wish for. You only have to look across London at West Ham for an example of the dangers of swapping a manager who delivers mid-table security for a fresh start - and David Moyes even delivered a trophy for the Hammers.

Ultimately, this situation needs to be resolved as soon as possible. It is not too late to save the rest of the season; a new deal, or a decision to part amicably, could be the catalyst for a run of form in these final five games that sees us push past the ceiling that we have been knocking against for the past three years.

Then the green eyes of envy would be firmly locked on SW6.

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We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's Premier League game between Brentford and Fulham.

Here are some of your comments:

Brentford fans

Trevor: We looked tired as we have for weeks, injuries and squad depth catching up with us now. Europe can wait until we have a squad that can cope with the extra games. Schade should have been subbed not sure why he stayed on.

Sam: How we did not score I will never know. Another exasperating afternoon to be frank. We needed some life at some points, an extra attacking threat, so I don't understand why no subs were made. We are in need of a win, as I for one am feeling the pressure of the sides around us.

Robert: Lack of imagination to push the result. Schade worked hard but Donovan would have been a greater threat. We would have taken survival this season so for the love of God Keith take some risks.

Kev: Concerned re lack of wins, although I get it's also an unbeaten run. Should have had six more points from last three home games. We may regret this as some very tough away fixtures coming up.

Fulham fans

Brian: That was a real hard watch. I try to be positive but honestly we are in trouble if we take these lacklustre displays into next season. So many balls given away and the final ball? I felt for Muniz, fighting just to play, not sure his team-mates knew he was on the field! Let's just move on...

Robbie: We looked totally disjointed and could not keep hold of the ball despite having room to make a pass. Josh King looked lethargic and I feel like he's lost his mojo, I'm not sure he feels trusted by Marco to play with the freedom that makes him such a great prospect.

Louis: Defensively great. The attack and build-up play is absolutely awful, zero threat all game with zero shots on target to back it up. Tactics need to change and so does the mentality.

Joel: Another lethargic, lacklustre performance from Marco Silva's Fulham. It's time to go.

Pundits Ashley Williams and Joe Hart join host Gabby Logan to bring you the action and talking points from Saturday's Premier League fixtures.

Watch on BBC iPlayer here

And listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Leeds 3-0 Wolves

• Newcastle 1-2 Bournemouth

• Tottenham 2-2 Brighton

Marco Silva, speaking to BBC Match of the Day: "If you want to ask me just about [Leno's save], I prefer to go in a different direction and remind you about the chances we had. The big one in the first half was from Sessegnon. They were better second half, but we had a big chance from Harry Wilson - but yes, it was a big save from Leno.

"I think we had a good first half, we dominated. I think we got control of the game, the build-up was good. We let the game get into our offensive half. We had some good combinations. There wasn't any clear chances in the first half from both sides apart from Sessegnon and a corner for them.

"Second half, we started well, but we dropped a bit. They pushed in the last 30 minutes. From the bench, we tried to finish the game but our build-up was not at the same level, and we suffered more. They had their big chance, but I have to look back at Harry Wilson's big moment. We expect from him to find the target with a player of his quality.

On Alex Iwobi, who came off injured: "Let's hope it's not serious. We have to assess in the next few days and we can take some conclusions. It's a big miss for us because he is so crucial. It's a chance for the others [to play]."

Did you know?

• Fulham have won just one of their last eight Premier League away matches (D3 L4). In fact, just 35.6% of Fulham's 45 points in the Premier League have been picked up away from home (16 points - P17 W4 D4 L9), with only Wolves (29.4%) picking up a smaller share of their points on the road in the competition this season.

• None of Fulham's 10 shots at goal in this game found the target, the first time they've finished a Premier League away game without a single shot on target since April 2023 (v Aston Villa).

Adwaidh Rajan
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

Heading into Saturday's west London derby, Brentford had just one home win in 2026 while Fulham had one away win during the same period.

So, with hindsight, a draw should not have come as a big surprise in this fixture.

Aiming to do a double over Brentford for the second season running, the Cottagers made an underwhelming start before finding a foothold in the game when Ryan Sessegnon and Alex Iwobi offered some threat down the left wing.

It was, however, fleeting as Iwobi pulled up with an hamstring issue five minutes before the interval and had to be replaced by his Nigerian compatriot Samuel Chukwueze.

Harry Wilson, who had10 goals and six assists in 30 appearances and was on the scoresheet as they recovered from going behind to beat the Bees 3-1 in September, had the best of their chances but failed to trouble Caoimhin Kelleher.

None of their10 shots found the target - the first time they finished a game without a single shot on target since facing Arsenal in October.

They had goalkeeper Bernd Leno to thank for avoiding a late defeat with a spectacular save to deny Dango Ouattara in the dying seconds but the draw in the will not help either side's chances in the race for European spots.

Marco Silva's side will next face Aston Villa at Craven Cottage on Saturday, 25 April (12:30).

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

Have your say on Brentford's performance

What did you make of Fulham's display?

Come back on Monday for a selection of your replies

Brentford head coach Keith Andrews has named unchanged starting line-up from the 2-2 draw against Everton last week.

Igor Thiago, only one goal behind Erling Haaland in the Golden Boot race, starts up front while full-back Aaron Hickey returns to the matchday squad for the first time since February, having recovered from a hamstring injury.

Brentford XI: Kelleher, Van den Berg, Schade, Jensen, Thiago, Yarmoliuk, Ouattara, Collins, Lewis-Potter, Damsgaard, Kayode.

Subs: Valdimarsson, Hickey, Pinnock, Nelson, Ajer, Donovan, Bentt, Shield, Stephenson.

Marco Silva, meanwhile, has made four changes to Fulham side that suffered a 2-0 defeat at Liverpool last time out.

Ryan Sessegnon, Emile Smith Rowe, Sasa Lukic and Tom Cairney all come in as Antonee Robinson, Josh King, Oscar Bobb and Sander Berge drop out.

Fulham XI: Leno, Bassey, Andersen, Wilson, Muniz, Cairney, Iwobi, Lukic, Castagne, Sessegnon, Smith Rowe.

Subs: Lecomte, Reed, Jimenez, Bobb, Berge, Chukwueze, King, Diop, Robinson.

There are five games in the Premier League on Saturday and BBC Sport will bring you every moment.

• Brentford v Fulham (12:30)

• Leeds v Wolves (15:00) - Listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Newcastle v Bournemouth (15:00)

• Tottenham v Brighton (17:30) - Listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Chelsea v Man Utd (20:00)

Kick-off 15:00 BST unless stated

Follow all of the action and reaction here

You can also listen to today's 5 Live Premier League commentaries on most smart speakers. Just say "ask BBC Sounds to play Leeds v Wolves" or "ask BBC Sounds to play Tottenham v Brighton", for instance.

Find out more about how to listen to Premier League football on BBC Sounds

Brentford and Fulham go head-to-head in a west London derby on Saturday (12:30 BST) that could have implications for both sides' hopes of qualifying for Europe.

Thiago chasing Golden Boot

Brentford lost first-choice strikers Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa last summer but Igor Thiago has proved the perfect replacement.

The Brazilian's 21 Premier League goals so far this season is a club record in the competition, beating the 20 in a campaign scored by Mbeumo and Ivan Toney.

Thiago did not score in any of his eight Brentford games in an injury-interrupted 2024-25 season, seven of which came from the bench. But he has taken full advantage of his new first-choice role in 2025-26, in which he has started all but one of Brentford's 32 league games.

The 24-year-old, who scored in the Bees' first game of the season, has had just one barren patch, failing to score in a run of six matches from the start of December to the beginning of January.

But that New Year's Day blank against Tottenham was followed by five goals in his next two games and he has scored more Premier League goals in 2026 than any other player.

His form was rewarded with his first international cap last month and last weekend he became the first Brazilian to score 20 Premier League goals in a season.

Now just one goal behind Erling Haaland this season, could he go on to become the first man from his country to win the Premier League Golden Boot?

Fulham impress against west London rivals

This week marked the 25th anniversary of Fulham's first promotion to the Premier League – there have been ups and downs since then but three consecutive mid-table finishes have firmly established Fulham as a top-flight club.

There have also been ups and downs in 2025-26, in which the Cottagers have been inconsistent, but a strong finish to the season could mean a new club record points total for the second consecutive campaign and possible qualification for Europe.

Fulham have struggled on the road recently, winning just one of their seven Premier League away games in 2026. Only Tottenham and Wolves have collected fewer points on the road since the turn of the year than the Cottagers' five.

But while it's an away fixture, it's also pretty close to home, with fewer than five miles separating Craven Cottage from the Gtech Community Stadium.

So rather than dwelling on their poor away form, Fulham may prefer to focus on their good recent record against their west London neighbours – they have won the last three meetings.

I was a bit disappointed with the way Fulham played at Anfield last week, because I thought they might nick something against Liverpool.

They beat Brentford earlier in the season, and did the double over them in 2024-25, so it will be interesting to see how Marco Silva's side play here - there is a danger their season might be fizzling out a bit.

I was right when I went for Brentford to share the points against Everton, which was their fourth draw in a row.

The Bees are still in with a chance of making the Champions League places so they will be disappointed with the way they let the three points slip away in that game, but you can probably guess which result I am going for here.

Sutton's prediction: 1-1

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Fulham boss Marco Silva has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game against Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium (kick-off 12:30 BST).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• The Fulham boss said there is not much change regarding the injury situation, confirming that Kenny Tete and Kevin remain out although Harrison Reed is back in contention.

• Silva admitted it is a pivotal game for their European hopes: "I do believe [that], definitely. It's against a team who are clearly in the battle with us. They are three points above ourselves and that gap that is there, we have to do the maximum we can to win the game and the gap is going to disappear - simple as that."

• He said derbies are "more special" because of what they mean to the fanbase and added: "You are here to achieve points, get good results, to be proud of the position in the table, to get the goals you have for the season but the main thing is to make the people that love the football club proud of the work. A game like this one always has an impact on them."

• On the belief that they can beat their Premier League points record again, Silva said: "We believe. Eleven months ago I didn't have any doubts and I didn't know what the squad was going to be, how many players we are going to lose or sign, what type of investment we are going to have. I spoke with the players in the dressing room and I set the standards for the season after."

• The Fulham boss said details such as form "does not have so much impact" in a game like this which is "so special".

• On their lack of goals of late, Silva said: "What we can give them [the players] is to keep working with them, give the trust that a goal is going to come."

Follow all of Friday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

Got a question about Fulham? Get in touch here and we'll seek answers from our experts

Drew Heatley
Fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

Houston, we have a problem. Specifically, a full-back problem.

Fixing it should be high on our summer to-do list, after sorting out the obvious contract situations with boss Marco Silva and star player Harry Wilson, of course.

On the surface, we are blessed. We have Antonee Robinson on the left, a United States international who was once courted by AC Milan, and Kenny Tete on the right, a former PSV Eindhoven player awash with top-level European experience.

But this season has shown that it could be time to part with one, or both, of them.

Robinson, affectionately known as 'Jedi', has been a shadow of his former self this term after having knee surgery in the summer which caused a stuttering start to his campaign.

But since his return to the starting XI, his performances have been under par. He gets dispossessed, he is at fault for more than his fair share of goals and his crossing has lost its accuracy.

It is quite the drop-off from last year's player of the season.

Then there is Tete, whose performances have been better than those of his left-sided counterpart, but his injury record is starting to become a millstone.

He has missed a dozen games or more each season for the past three campaigns and his understudy, Timothy Castagne, is just not the required standard for a side challenging for the top half of the Premier League.

The Belgium international had a torrid time last weekend against Liverpool teenager Rio Ngumoha.

The evolution of the game in the past 20 years means a side is only as good as its full-backs. They are crucial for both defending and constructing forward moves and, at the moment, ours are having a negative impact on both elements.

If we want to reach the orbit of the European places, it is a problem that has to be sorted - and fast.

Find more from Drew Heatley at Fulhamish, external

Image source, Getty Images

Two Premier League heavyweights are set to face each other this weekend at Etihad Stadium, as Manchester City host Arsenal.

Both teams go into the fixture with different targets. For Mikel Arteta's side, it is about extending their lead at the top of the table. For Pep Guardiola's side, it is about closing the gap and keeping themselves in the title race.

It is a fixture being labelled a title decider by some, so we want to know who you want to win this Sunday's match.

Will you be cheering on the Citizens or getting behind the Gunners?

Make your selection

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We asked for your views on whether Fulham have achieved enough in the Premier League, 25 years to the day on from first winning promotion to the top flight under Jean Tigana.

Here are some of your replies:

Billy: Honestly? No. Fulham should have at least won a trophy, either an FA Cup or League Cup, by now. There is something in the club mentality that stops us from reaching our potential. We are always nearly there, but not nearly enough. You have to think about why we cannot compete at a higher level.

Jim: There are probably more than 80 teams that would be more than happy to swap their last 25 years with ours. Any long-term Fulham supporter wouldn't swap the last 25 years for our previous 25 years.

Ali: For the money spent and the players let go, constant mid-table is a success. The bigger success will be the rebuild if Marco Silva, Raul Jimenez and Harry Wilson leave this season, and in a couple years players like Bernd Leno leave - the types who have been starters since we came up last time. Watching teams like West Ham and Wolves - who were in Europe recently - struggle made me realise you're one bad manager or a few signings away from that bottom three.

David: I saw my first Fulham game in 1947, aged six. I have followed them ever since and I am still seldom confident, especially when playing lower-ranked teams, but true love never dies.

Chris: Unfortunately we badly invested in that 2001 season, where a multi-millionaire owner would have made a difference (thinking of the likes of Jack Waller etc). Once Abramovich came in, billionaire owners were needed for instant success and we never truly kicked on. We then became a selling club and lost the few stars we had in those first two seasons, within half a decade. Since then, there have been some highlights but we have missed great opportunities to get a trophy. We will likely drop down in the next couple of seasons, especially with the PSR/FFP rules.

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Drew Heatley
Fan writer

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It's been quite the quarter of a century for Fulham Football Club.

This month we celebrate 25 years since the Whites returned to the top flight and graced the Premier League for the first time.

A victory at Huddersfield - on this day in 2001 - came just days after beating title rivals Blackburn to seal the deal and we eventually finished on 101 points – 10 ahead of Rovers.

While marking the anniversary, it is impossible not to reflect on the period since.

Our promotion kick-started an up-and-down 13-year stay in the Premier League. We finished as high as seventh and reached the final of the Europa League. Our best night in the last 25 years has to be our 4-1 win over Juventus at Craven Cottage. Can it ever be topped?

We also struggled, avoiding the drop on the final day of the 2007-08 season. Both happened under perhaps our greatest-ever manager, Roy Hodgson.

• Have Fulham achieved enough since 2001? Tell us

We were not so lucky in 2014, relegated at Stoke in what is probably our lowest point. I am not sure any Premier League relegation hurts more than the first.

Despite a period of exile from 2014 to 2018, leading to our "yo-yo" years until 2022, it is impossible to say Fulham have not overachieved.

Yes, we have financial backing but given our size and the competition in the country's capital, to have spent 19 of the 25 seasons in the Premier League since our arrival is a significant achievement.

For some, it is the best it will get. For others, we agitate for more. In these past 25 years we have become the biggest club to never have won a major domestic trophy. It is not a label we wish to have, and it is one we are desperate to shed.

If Hodgson is our number one, then Marco Silva is 1A. But with Fulham out of all cups this season and Silva's future up in the air, it remains to be seen what will happen next year, let alone the next 25.

Given the volatile nature of the beautiful game, I will be grateful if we achieve more highs than lows.

Find more from Drew Heatley at Fulhamish, external