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Fulham vs Aston Villa LIVE!
Fulham's dismal start to their Premier League return continued with another heavy defeat at Craven Cottage on Monday evening.
After losing both of their opening top-flight matches following promotion and shipping seven goals in the process, Scott Parker's side found themselves 2-0 down inside 15 minutes against Villa courtesy of more woeful defending and efforts from Jack Grealish and Conor Hourihane.
Any hopes of a comeback were extinguished early in the second half thanks to Tyrone Mings, with Bobby Reid later seeing a goal ruled out as a result of a foul from Aleksandar Mitrovic.
Follow all the reaction with Jack Rosser at Craven Cottage!
Date, time and venue
Fulham vs Aston Villa is scheduled for a 5:45pm BST kick-off on Monday, September 28.
This match will be played behind closed doors at Craven Cottage with no fans due to be present due to government guidelines regarding coronavirus.
How to watch
TV channel: The match will be shown live on Sky Sports' Premier League and Main Event channels, and is available via Now TV.
Team news
Fulham: Areola, Tete, Hector, Odoi, Bryan, Zambo, Ream, Cairney, Reid, Ivan Cavaleiro, Mitrovic
Subs: Kebano, Knockaert, Rodak, Le Marchand, Onomah, Robinson, Kamara
Aston Villa: Martinez, Cash, Konsa, Mings, Targett, Hourihane, Douglas Luiz, McGinn, Trezeguet, Watkins, Grealish
Subs: Steer, Traore, Nakamba, Elmohamady, Hause, Davis, Ramsey
Prediction: Fulham 2-2 Aston Villa
Fulham just haven't appeared to make the defensive improvements necessary yet to successfully compete at this level.
It is potentially crucial that they avoid a third successive top-flight defeat here and falling into an early spiral, though Villa will be full of confidence after outlasting the Blades last week.
We expect an entertaining and potentially high-scoring encounter that ends all square, perhaps with Fulham squandering a lead due to their defensive frailties.
Head to head (h2h) history and results
Read More
Of the 26 Premier League meetings between the clubs, Aston Villa have won nine times and Fulham six, with 11 draws.
Their last top-flight encounter came all the way back in April 2014, when Hugo Rodallega's late header secured a 2-1 win for the Cottagers at Villa Park.
Odds courtesy of Betfair Exchange. Click here to find out more.
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2 mins: A positive attacking start from Fulham, but Villa soon find their bearings and John McGinn sees a hopeful shot blocked.
Looks like Fulham are beginning with a back three.
Referee Stuart Attwell blows his whistle and both sets of players take a knee before the action gets under way.
Can Fulham get their first Premier League points of the season tonight, or will Villa add to their early-season misery?
An early blow for Aleksandar Mitrovic as he is brought down by Douglas Luiz...
Here come the teams at Craven Cottage. Kick-off in tonight's first Premier League contest is imminent...
Standard Sport's Jack Rosser is at Craven Cottage this evening and reports that Fulham have been warming up in a back four, with Dennis Odoi at left-back.
The teamsheet had rather suggested a five-man defensive system from Parker. We will see when the action gets under way shortly.
Aston Villa unchanged
Photo: Getty Images
Dean Smith, meanwhile, has stuck with the same Aston Villa starting XI that beat Sheffield United 1-0 in their top-flight opener last week.
New signing Bertrand Traore is on the bench after featuring in the 3-0 Carabao Cup win over Bristol City, along with teenage midfielder Jacob Ramsey.
Neil Taylor and Anwar El Ghazi drop out of the matchday squad.
Fulham make three changes
Photo: Getty Images
Captain Tom Cairney returns to the starting XI for Fulham this evening, along with Tim Ream and Bobby Reid in an apparent tactical shift from manager Scott Parker.
Harrison Reed misses out altogether, with Josh Onomah and Aboubakar Kamara both dropping to the bench.
Aston Villa XI: Martinez, Cash, Konsa, Mings, Targett, Hourihane, Douglas Luiz, McGinn, Trezeguet, Watkins, Grealish
Subs: Steer, Traore, Nakamba, Elmohamady, Hause, Davis, Ramsey
Fulham XI: Areola, Tete, Hector, Odoi, Bryan, Zambo, Ream, Cairney, Reid, Ivan Cavaleiro, Mitrovic
Subs: Kebano, Knockaert, Rodak, Le Marchand, Onomah, Robinson, Kamara
Team news incoming...
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