FULHAM PREVIEW
After that agonising loss in Suffolk on the opening day, well it just had to be Jack Clarke with the winner eh? No respect to his old club for scoring against them, bet that pleased Ian Harte. Well this afternoon sees the Lads start their home campaign for 2026-27 when the Cottagers of Fulham make the long trip from “The Smoke” to Wearside and the Stadium of Light.
OUR OPPONENTS
Fulham were one of only four clubs that travelled to Wearside last season and went home with a maximum point haul under the belts (Liverpool, Brighton and Forest were the others). But there has been a bit of a change in West London for the Club that is very synonymous with a certain Jimmy Hill. Like Ipswich last week, the Lads face an opponent with a new manager at the helm and also a new face to the Premier League’s managerial ranks.
The new manager is former Liverpool and Real Madrid right back Alvaro Arbeloa Coca to give him his full Spanish name. He has replaced Marco Silva who went home to Portugal to manage Benfica after Jose Mourinho left for Real which was Arbeloa’s previous managerial job. Bit of a merry go round for sure. Anyway, you can probably expect Arbeloa to play a Real Madrid type game of football as he looks to make his mark in West London.
Fulham’s first league match under him, ended in a 2-3 home loss on Monday to local rivals Chelsea. Their scorers were Josh King and Gonzalo Garcia, who has the number 7 shirt previously worn by Raul Jimenez (now back at Wolves) and played under Arbeloa at Real. They have some good players in their ranks aside of him, talented former Manchester City winger Oscar Bobb, the strangely named Brazilian Kevin and attacking midfielder Emile Smith-Rowe to name just three. Our own Thomas Meunier will come across international colleague Timothy Castagne as well, with wee Trai catching up possibly with fellow Northern Ireland internationalist Shea Charles.
THE LADS
Resplendent in their Elvis pink colours, the Lads were left “All Shook Up” with the Tractor Boys taking the spoils in the Suffolk sunshine. Both goals conceded were ones that we will want back for sure, LO9 at fault for the first and Alderete for Clarke’s winner which he dispatched in predictable Jack Clarke style. That said Angulo (told you he’d get the start) scored a belting free kick which beat the 6’9 frame of Scherpens and not many might do that.
One thing that is a possible concern already to some, me possibly, is that RLB persists with using wee Trai as a right winger. I mean I love Trai to bits, and he can provide a devastating cross into the box but he’s predominantly in most folks’ eyes: a full back. He will probably have Trai there today even with our talented teen looking primed and ready to give Fulham a good working over.
I’m looking at RLB to go with the following starting eleven on Sunday, with two changes from the team that started against Ipswich:
Roefs
Meunier ----- Ballard ----- Alderete ----- Reinildo
Xhaka ----- Sadiki
Rigg ----- Le Fée ----- Angulo
Brobbey
REF WATCH
Sunday’s referee is Michael Sailsbury of Preston, who is in his sixth season of being on the Premier League list. He was the man with the whistle last season when the Lads lost 2-0 at Burnley in the second game of the season.
