Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the English Premier League match.
One of the London derbies will take place at Craven Cottage between neighbours in the league table. Fulham have a better chance of picking up points, but it's worth focusing on the goal-scoring potential of both teams.
Fulham
Fulham are consistent both in attack and defence: they score and concede an average of exactly one goal per game. Manchester United created 2.43 xG against them but managed to score just once. At home, Fulham's players attacked well against Leicester, taking 18 shots and fully capitalising on their 1.78 xG. It's also worth noting that the team hasn't kept a clean sheet in any of their three matches so far—defence isn't their strong suit at the moment.
West Ham United
West Ham had a challenging schedule at the start of the season, with two out of their three August matches against Champions League participants. They lost to Manchester City, as expected, although they scored thanks to an own goal, and only a save from Emerson Palmieri and the woodwork in the fifth minute of injury time prevented a goal by Crysencio Summerville. They also gave away the match to Aston Villa, squandering many chances—mostly after the break when the score was still 1:1. Despite all their finishing issues, West Ham scored four goals in three rounds. However, during the recent international break, they lost Niclas Füllkrug to injury in a match against Hungary, and he even managed to score the opening goal. Michail Antonio will start at centre-forward, which is his primary position, but now he lacks a proper backup.
Fulham — West Ham United Prediction
Fulham's moderate goal-scoring should be offset by their home advantage. Recall their last head-to-head meeting at Craven Cottage, which ended in a 5:0 thrashing in favour of the hosts. Fulham are certain to score at least once, and they will concede as well, as West Ham United haven't failed to score even against the champions.
