Fulham will welcome Burnley to Craven Cottage on Monday evening knowing that a defeat to the Clarets would see them relegated back to the Championship for the 2021-22 campaign.
Scott Parker's side are currently 18th in the Premier League table, nine points behind 17th-placed Burnley, with both sides having four games of the 2020-21 season left to play.
Match preview
A mini-revival earlier this year aided suggestions that Fulham could escape the bottom three, but the Cottagers have now lost five of their last six Premier League matches, including a 2-0 loss at Chelsea last time out, picking up just a single point during that run.
As a result, the Cottagers are 18th in the table, nine points behind 17th-placed Burnley, meaning that a defeat for the home side on Monday evening would confirm their relegation back to the second tier.
At one stage, Newcastle United appeared to be the side that Fulham could catch, but the Magpies are now 13th in the table, helped by their impressive 4-2 win over Leicester City on Friday evening.
Fulham have simply not won enough matches this season, picking up maximum points in just five of their 34 Premier League matches, and they are now only one point ahead of 19th-placed West Bromwich Albion.
Parker's team will be targeting wins in their next four matches against Burnley, Southampton, Manchester United and Newcastle, but it does appear that the club are heading back to the Championship.
Burnley, meanwhile, will enter Monday's clash off the back of a 2-1 home defeat to West Ham United, with Michail Antonio scoring a brace for the Champions League-chasing Hammers.
Sean Dyche's side recorded a 4-0 win away to Wolverhampton Wanderers on April 25, but they have actually lost four of their last five in the league, which has seen them slide down into 17th spot in the table.
The Clarets have avoided defeat in eight of their 17 away league fixtures this term and will be taking on a Fulham side with the worst home record in the 2020-21 Premier League season.
A defeat for Burnley on Monday would certainly leave them looking over their shoulder, though, particularly ahead of two tough fixtures against Leeds United and Liverpool, before finishing the season away to already-relegated Sheffield United.
Dyche's team have already won at Craven Cottage this term, recording a 3-0 victory in the FA Cup back in January, but the points were shared in a 1-1 draw in the reverse league fixture at Turf Moor in February.
- L
- L
- L
- L
- D
- L
- W
- L
- L
- L
- W
- L
Team News
Fulham will again be without the services of Terence Kongolo due to a knee injury, while Tom Cairney is not expected to be involved despite recently returning to first-team training.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek will be back in the squad, having been unable to face parent club Chelsea last time out, while Harrison Reed trained on Friday, and the hosts are hopeful that the midfielder will be able to shake off a knock in time for the key encounter at Craven Cottage.
Loftus-Cheek could operate in the number 10 spot behind Josh Maja, while Ademola Lookman and Bobby Decordova-Reid should feature in the wide areas for the strugglers.
As for Burnley, leading scorer Wood is available despite being withdrawn in the latter stages of the team's 2-1 defeat to West Ham on Monday evening due to a dead leg.
Robbie Brady and Kevin Long remain on the sidelines, but midfielder Dale Stephens is in contention, meaning that Dyche does have options for change at Craven Cottage.
Jay Rodriguez and Ashley Barnes are pushing for spots in the final third of the field, but Matej Vydra is likely to keep his spot alongside Wood as part of a front two.
Fulham possible starting lineup:
Areola; Aina, Andersen, Adarabioyo, Robinson; Reed, Lemina; Reid, Loftus-Cheek, Lookman; Maja
Burnley possible starting lineup:
Pope; Lowton, Tarkowski, Mee, Taylor; Brownhill, Cork, Westwood, McNeil; Wood, Vydra
We say: Fulham 1-0 Burnley
It is win or bust for Fulham, who are now very much in last-chance saloon. The Cottagers have been poor at home for long stages of the season, but we just have a feeling for them on Monday. It is not expected to be a classic Premier League encounter, but Fulham could keep their survival hopes alive with a narrow victory.
Video prediction
Watch the Sports Mole Football Shorts prediction for this game below:
body check tags ::
VOTE IN THE END-OF-SEASON SPORTS MOLE AWARDS!
Have your say in the annual end-of-season Sports Mole Reader Awards!
