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Fulham could boost their chances of survival with victory over Brighton & Hove Albion on Tuesday night at Craven Cottage.
The Whites sit seven points adrift of 17th place Newcastle United, albeit with a goal difference significantly worse, -30 compared to Newcastle’s -12. Victory on Tuesday would reduce the five point deficit on 18th place Cardiff City and would bring some faith back to the fans.
Fulham have failed to win since their 1-0 win over Huddersfield Town on December 29; however, four consecutive defeats – including an FA Cup exit to League Two side Oldham Athletic – have further hindered the London side’s chances of survival.
The Whites led against Tottenham Hotspur a week ago but Dele Alli levelled for Spurs before Harry Winks scored in added time to deny the League’s out-of-form side a vital set of three points.
On the other hand, Brighton could extend the gap between themselves and the relegation places with victory in south-west London.
Brighton confirmed their name in the hat for the FA Cup fifth-round draw on Monday, but the Seagulls had to settle for a draw against West Brom.
Prior to that, Albion were narrowly beaten 1-0 and 2-1 by Liverpool and Manchester United respectively. The Sussex side’s last League victory also came on December 29th as Jurgen Locadia’s second-half strike proved the difference in a 1-0 victory over Everton.
The Seagulls have won on their previous three visits to Craven Cottage and have the opportunity to move ten points clear of the relegation places with victory.
Team news
The hosts are expected to be without Alfie Mawson (knee) who continues to recover from an injury; however, boss Claudio Ranieri has an otherwise fully-fit squad to select from.
Seagulls manager Chris Hughton has confirmed that goalkeeper Maty Ryan could return to feature against Fulham after returning from the Asian Cup. Alireza Jahanbakhsh remains unavailable due to his continued involvement at the Asian Cup; Jose Izquierdo (knee) and Bernardo (hamstring) remain sidelined.
From the bosses
Speaking to the media on Monday morning, Seagulls boss Hughton expected a tough challenge in London.
“I’ve seen some good displays recently from Fulham – they don’t look like a team who’ve had a difficult season.
“It’s a difficult game and we’ll have to play at good level because of their quality.
On the other hand, Ranieri did not hide away from the importance of a win on Tuesday.
“It’s crucial for us. [Brighton] is a good team, very close, very direct. They counter attack very fast.
“They’re very dangerous from set-plays, but we have to win. We have to win and we have to make the maximum effort to win the match.”
