Our prediction for this Premier League match:
Fulham and Wolverhampton face each other at Craven Cottage in the opening match of round 25. The Cottagers are enjoying a season to remember, with the team sitting in 6th place in the standings ahead of Friday’s clash, and it is no wonder the bookies see them as favourites to beat the Wolves in London. Top scorer Aleksandar Mitrovic should recover in time to face Wolverhampton, while both Kebano and Cairney remain in the recovery room.
Meanwhile, the visitors failed to impress in a 1-0 loss to Bournemouth, which is yet another reason why home win should be considered. Mexico forward Raul Jimenez is widely expected to return to the starting XI, whereas all Hwang, Traore, Chiquinho, and Kalajdzic are out of contention with injuries. It has to be noted that under 2.5 goals have been netted in each of their last seven meetings in all competitions.
Highlighted Player (Willian):
Willian is a Brazilian football player who was born on 9 August, 1988 in Ribeirao Pires. After playing for Corinthians in the 2006/2007 season, in 2007 he joined Ukrainian outfit Shakhtar Donetsk. The pacey winger won four Ukrainian Premier League trophies with the Miners, while clinching the UEFA Cup title in 2009 as well.
During his spell with Shakhtar, Willian was on Chelsea’s radar and in 2013 the chiefs of the Premier League club agreed a deal to sign the Brazilian ace for a fee of £30 million. Willian won the Premier League trophy with Chelsea in the 2014/2015 season and the following season he was named Chelsea Player of the year.
The 30-year-old winger has 38 caps for Brazil and he has netted six goals for the national team. Speaking of his personal life, Willian is married to Vanessa Martins, who gave birth to their twin daughters Valentina and Manuella.
Highlighted Team (Wolves):
Wolverhampton are a club that was originally known as St. Luke’s FC. The Wolves play in the Championship and they were founded in 1877. Molineux is the home ground of Wolverhampton and the capacity of the stadium is 31,700. Wolverhampton have won four FA Cup trophies (1893, 1908, 1949, 1960), with the team lifting the League Cup trophy in 1974 and 1980.
The colour of the club’s shirts is orange and they wear black shorts. The Wolves wear blue jerseys when playing away from home. Wolverhampton’s main rivals are West Bromwich Albion and they have been facing each other in the Black Country derby since 1888. In their first meeting in the local derby WBA recorded a 1-0 win over Wolves.
Wolverhampton have won three First Division trophies (1953/1954, 1957/1958, 1958/1959) and they have clinched four FA Cup titles as well (1893, 1908, 1949, 1960). The club’s owner is Steve Morgan.