Premier League: Fulham Due Slice of Good Fortune as Hatters travel to the Thames

Fulham vs Luton Town

It’s Premier League matches like these which will determine whether Luton Town can defy the odds and prove virtually every single pundit in football world wrong.

For victories against teams expected to struggle, alongside picking up points in matches like this, should be the difference between survival or a brief sojourn back in the top flight following a 31 year absence.

In truth, the Hatters right now would probably be glad to just get off the mark after three straight defeats, but there is no such thing as an easy game in the battle to beat the drop.

Talking Points

It may seem disrespectful to be talking about Luton as relegation certainties at this stage, even if their most notable summer signing was Ross Barkley, the sort of risk a Premier League newcomer can take.

As the Guardian reported, the rest of the club’s recruitment work focused on bringing in players who could help the club move forward in the next three years because, in all likelihood, they will be relegated even if it means they are left with a stronger squad than the one they came up with.

They certainly showed some improvement in their last outing, their first home match of the season, when they were narrowly beaten by West Ham, so perhaps a confidence-boosting result is not too far away.

On saying that, Fulham are due a degree of good fortune.

They were the victims of a scandalous decision at Manchester City last time out, and, while the gulf between the sides was evident by the full-time whistle, it was a key moment in a contest that deflated Marco Silva’s side so much they never recovered.

Until that point, the men from the Thames had been holding their own, just as they had seven days earlier when they drew 2-2 at Arsenal, last season’s runners-up, in a match full of Premier League 2023 highlights.

On that occasion, João Palhinha netted a late equaliser, and he could well be in the ranks again after a deadline-day move to Bayern Munich failed to materialise.

Reports suggest the Portugal midfielder may get his move to Germany in the New Year, but, in the meantime, the fact he has remained in West London is a massive boon for Fulham.

It has been a tricky time for the club this summer, with doubts over Silva’s future as manager at one stage and, while he did stay, Alexander Mitrovic opted for the lure of Saudi Arabia.

Despite losing the Serb striker, they can be a match for anyone on their day, and with Palhinha still amongst them, they will hope to kick on after making a few canny additions, including the signing of Alex Iwobi from Everton and the arrival of Timothy Castagne from Leicester.

History

These teams met for the very first time in a goal fest in 1908. The occasion was the first round of the FA Cup, and amazingly, Fulham recorded an 8-3 success.

That was the first of 30 Fulham wins in this fixture historically with 22 Luton successes and nine draws.

The majority of their early meetings came in the FA Cup and Division Three South, with the remainder in the former Divisions Two and Three until League Cup clashes in 1994.

This will be their first ever meeting in the top flight as Luton chase a first victory over Fulham since October 1998. They won 3-1 in Division Two at Craven Cottage that day.

Their most recent meeting was also the most one-sided in their history. It came in May last year as Fulham celebrated promotion with a 7-0 thrashing to clinch the championship title in style. Mitrovic led the rout that day with a double.

Tom Cairney scored the team’s 100th goal of the campaign with a thunderous first-half strike and a thumping long-range shot from Kenny Tete doubled the tally as Luton crumbled under injuries and Fulham’s dominance. Fabio Carvalho made it three after the break, before Mitrovic scored his record-equalling 42nd goal of the campaign.

Bobby Decordova-Reid and Jean-Michael Seri extended the lead, before Mitrovic tapped in his second to set a new record for English league goals in a season post-1992 and Fulham’s title celebrations began.

Betting Tip

The SBOTOP Premier League 2023 betting odds back Fulham and so do I.

With the home team available 1X2 @ 1.66 and Asian Handicap -1.00 @ 2.19, compared to Luton 1X2 @ 4.50 and Asian Handicap +0.75 @ 2.02, you won’t earn too much backing the home side.

 

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