Fulham vs TSG Hoffenheim
With less than two weeks to go until the new Premier League season kicks off, Marco Silva is working hard at Fulham to get his players ready to go again.
The Cottagers made a triumphant return to the English top-flight, finishing in the top half of the table, even above Chelsea. But second season syndrome can sometimes be a problem for Premier League new boys, and that is something Silva is desperate to avoid.
He’s a fine manager and he has a group of talented players, but there are some questions currently surrounding Craven Cottage and the boss is keen to resolve any niggling issues before Fulham open their campaign away to Everton on Saturday 12th August.
He has a chance to assess his hand on Saturday when the Cottagers take on TSG Hoffenheim in their final Club Friendly down at Craven Cottage. The Bundesliga side will provide the Londoners with a good test, as they are looking pretty sharp in pre-season and have a striker in great form.
Talking Points
Two big weeks for Fulham
The problems have been mounting up for the Cottagers in pre-season, and not just on the pitch where they made a bright start with a 3-2 win over Brentford but have since lost 2-0 to both Aston Villa and Chelsea.
The Club Friendly 2023 odds here at SBOTOP back Silva to guide his team to another mid table position, maybe not in the top half but free from danger.
Fulham have, so far, struggled in the market, bringing in just two players, Raul Jimenez from Wolves and defender Calvin Bassey from Ajax.
Pre-season has not been ideal. Influential midfielder Palhinha picked up an injury early on the USA tour, and then Captain Tom Cairney limped off during Fulham’s loss to Chelsea.
And then of course there is Aleksandar Mitrovic.
The wantaway striker is still at the club but is agitating for a move, probably to the Saudi Pro League. He’ll be a big loss to the Cottagers, but the arrival of Jimenez may plug the gap to a degree.
And Silva is trying to bring in Everton striker Demarai Gray, who is keen to leave Goodison Park. He can play through the middle or out wide and Gray has pace to burn, and the two clubs are now at the negotiating stage.
The Toffees want £10 million for their man, and Fulham are trying to knock the price down. At 27 years of age, he has a lot to offer and, with just a year left on his contract, I think Gray will be on the move soon.
Fulham are also pressing ahead with a move to bring Leicester utility man Timothy Castagne to the Cottage.
He has publicly said he wants away from the King Power Stadium after the Foxes suffered relegation last season and the Belgian international would cost in the region of £12 million.
Kramaric looks as sharp as ever
While much of the recent Club Friendly 2023 news has focused on the possible move of Harry Kane to FC Bayern and the prospects of the champions’ rivals, RB Leipzig and Borussia Dortmund, the other 15 German teams have been getting on with pre-season and TSG Hoffenheim are shaping up quite nicely.
They finished 12th in the Bundesliga last season and will be very hopeful of bettering that effort in 2023/24. TSG are shaping up nicely in pre-season, beating Dutch champions Feyenoord 4-2 and then drawing 2-2 with Glasgow Rangers.
With 95 goals in 209 appearances for Hoffenheim, Croatian striker Andrej Kramaric has been a talismanic figure at the club and he has been superb in pre-season, brilliantly setting up a goal for Ihlas Bebou against the Gers.
Head coach Pellegrino Matarazzo can be pleased with his team’s progress and knows he can rely on his Croatian striker. And Fulham’s defence will be wary of Hoffenheim’s star man.
History
This is the first time Fulham have met TSG Hoffenheim, and it will be an entertaining match between two well-matched sides, both finishing mid-table in their respective leagues last season.
The Cottagers are three-time second division champions and FA Cup runners-up, while Hoffenheim were Bundesliga 2 runners-up in 2008. Both teams have modest histories but big ambitions for a bright future.
This is another tough assignment for Marco Silva’s Fulha, who haven’t had the best of luck during pre-season. They will hope to have Palhinha and Cairney back for the league campaign, but the manager is unlikely to risk his key midfielder in this friendly.
Hoffenheim have some momentum and will try to take the game to their hosts but, with a healthy crowd at Craven Cottage, Fulham will hope to put on a show. I expect the outcome to be in the region of a home win by the odd goal in three or a 1-1 draw.
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