Fulham and Newcastle United will face off on September 21 in one of the Premier League’s early-season encounters.
It is still early days in the 2024-25 season, as teams find their feet. The two teams had mixed campaigns last season are aiming for greater consistency this time around.
This match will be played at Craven Cottage in West London, with Newcastle travelling to the capital aiming to build on a solid start. After a top-four finish in 2022-23, Eddie Howe hopes to take the Magpies back to European football.
Last season saw three meetings between the teams in all competitions. Newcastle won on all three occasions, without conceding a goal, and are unbeaten in their last nine fixtures with Fulham. The last win for the Cottagers came in March 2017 with both teams then in the Championship.
In the summer transfer window, Fulham lost influential Portuguese midfielder João Palhinha to Bayern Munich and Tosin Adarabioyo left the club to join Chelsea as a free agent. Bobby De Cordova-Reid also moved on to newly promoted Leicester City.
Fulham reinvested with some shrewd signings, including a club-record deal for Arsenal midfielder Emile Smith Rowe. Sander Berge and Jorge Cuenca add depth, alongside the returns of Ryan Sessegnon and Joachim Andersen to the club. Fulham completed their business with the loan arrival of Reiss Nelson from Arsenal on deadline day.
Newcastle’s business was more underwhelming. Lewis Hall’s loan from Chelsea was made permanent and Lloyd Kelly joined from Bournemouth as a free agent early in the window.
The rest of the club’s business added squad depth or potential with a failed move to sign Marc Guehi dominating their end to the window. In terms of outgoings, Elliot Anderson and Yankuba Minteh were sold for a combined £70m to ease PSR concerns.
Howe will be hoping for a cleaner bill of health this season after Newcastle’s push for Europe last season was derailed due to injury problems.
Fulham will feel the loss of Palhinha in midfield but have added quality in key areas of the pitch. After two seasons of long overdue consolidation, Marco Silva will want his talented team to kick on this season.
As for Newcastle, Manchester United’s success in the FA Cup removed them from the European football equation. With that disappointment behind them and without the added work-load of continental competition, a return to Europe is their minimum aim.
Match tickets
The match at Craven Cottage kicks off on Saturday 21st of September 2024 at 15:00 BST.
Getting Fulham vs Newcastle United tickets could be a challenge given the standard of this game. Ticket reselling sites offer a route should admission be sold out on each of the club’s channels.
Predicted Lineups
Fulham Predicted XI: Leno; Castagne, Andersen, Bassey, Robinson; Berge, Pereiram Smith Rowe; Adama, Iwobi, Muniz.
Newcastle Predicted XI: Pope; Livamento, Schar, Burn, Kelly; Guimaraes, Tonali, Joelinton; Gordon, Barnes, Isak.
Prediction
Fulham will want to make home advantage count and press a Newcastle side lacking defensive depth in the absence of the injured Sven Botman and Jamaal Lascelles.
Newcastle also adopt a high-intensity style and have started the season in good form, while the return of Sandro Tonali from his betting ban adds to Eddie Howe’s options. In a tight contest, we’re expecting the visitors to edge this one.
Fulham 1-2 Newcastle United
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