After qualifying for a spot in Europe last year, Fulham continues to impress in the EPL. They are currently placed 10th in the table at the end of the 13th week of the Premiere League season.
Chelsea, ManU, Arsenal, Tottenham, Aston Villa, ManCity, Liverpool, Sunderland and Stoke are leading them in the standings. Out of these 9 teams, one could say only Sunderland and Stoke are comparable to Fulham in terms of financial power and football quality. The remaining 7 have invested so heavily in to their squads that it would not be fair to ask Fulham compete with those teams on a regular basis. Those 7 teams are almost in a league of their own.
In other words, Fulham has achieved almost the maximum they could have, so far. They could have passed Sunderland and Stoke to climb to the 7th spot, but there are only 2 points between them and 8th placed Sunderland. From this perspective, Fulham is having a very good season under Roy Hodgson. Fulham has a record of 4W-0D-2 L in its home games. The Cottagers only lost to Chelsea and Arsenal at Craven Cottage while beating Everton, Hull, Liverpool and Blackburn in front of their home fans.
Fulham is a very very solid in its home games. They got 4 of their 5 wins to date at home. It seems like this is a stat overlooked by the bookies. The cottagers could have achieved even more this year, but they are simply playing too many games with their limited roster in the league, cup and Europa League games. They played against Blackburn in the midweek, and although they struggled a bit in the first half, they managed to get a 3-0 victory.
Dempsey, Duff and Nevland have been raising their form level with each game and as a team the Cottagers are gaining momentum. With Danny Murphy and Andy Johnson back from injuries, Roy Hodgson will have even more options for his starting 11.
BOLTON
Bolton is struggling this year in the EPL. They are ranked 18th in the table which puts them in the relegation zone. They still have a game in hand and a win from it could put them above West Ham. Looks like Bolton's season will play itself out in the form of a relegation battle to stay in the top flight of English football. The situation is so bad currently that rumors have already started circulating about the potential replacement for the coach Gary Megson. Former Palermo coach Walter Zenga was tipped as the next Bolton coach last week in the English media.
The Wanderers have got some disappointing results lately. They lost 0-2 to Blackburn Rovers in their last home game on Nov. 22nd. Remember that Fulham hosted Rovers next on Nov. 25th and they beat Rovers 3-0.
So in 3 days time, Blackburn managed to beat Bolton on the road, while being thrashed by Fulham also on the road. This is crucial for the comparison of the form levels for both teams.
Bolton's record away from home is 2W-0D-3L. Those 2 wins may be deceiving as they came against a Portsmouth side (which was in chaos due to changes related to management change etc) in week 5 and against Birmingham (a team that's gaining form late) in week 7.
FORECAST
With all the pressure Bolton is facing and all the success that Fulham is enjoying right now, I think this will be a one-sided affair. Fulham players play solid in from of the home crowd and they usually deliver at Craven Cottage. I pick Fulham to win this game and recommend you to lock it right now as I expect the lines dropping lower later on.
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Bolton @ fulham
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