Fulham edged out Leeds at Elland Road last weekend to secure their fifth Premier League victory of the campaign and equalled their entire haul of wins from their last top-flight season (2020/21) in the process. Confidence is understandably high in the Cottagers’ ranks, though Everton won’t be short on self-belief either having just recorded their biggest Premier League win so far against Crystal Palace (3-0).
Below, you can pick your way through our stats pack for this evening’s game which has info on shots, goals, cards, corners, fouls, xG and more from Fulham and Everton’s Premier League journeys since the summer. Use our statistics and my Stats Pack Guide to make more informed bet builder decisions for the match.
Predicted Lineups
Layvin Kurzawa and Manor Solomon are both out injured for Fulham with calf and knee issues respectively, while Kenny Tete has an outside chance of making the matchday squad.
Dan James was unable to face parent club Leeds last week though the Welsh winger is back in contention to start today.
Yerry Mina has had yet another setback and will be out for a little while longer, while Ben Godfrey and Andros Townsend are also both confirmed absentees for Everton.
In better news, Scottish full-back Nathan Patterson is fit again and back in the squad for today according to boss, Frank Lampard.
Team Stats
Fulham have been far more competitive in the Premier League than most thought they would be this season and the Cottagers have been posting healthy numbers in the goals for (1.83), shots for (11.33) and xG for (1.45) per 90 stakes – all of which are midtable figures.
Marco Silva’s side have played with aggression since their promotion and only three clubs have collected more cards than Fulham so far (30).
Everton scored more than once in a game for only the second time in the Premier League this season when they put three past a shellshocked Palace side at Goodison Park last week, though the Toffees’ overall 0.92 goals per 90 figure is still one of the division’s weakest.
Only Nottingham Forest and Bournemouth have been mustering fewer attempts per 90 than Everton (10.08), while the Toffees rank joint-top of the league for cards collected (32).
Player Shots and Shots on Target
Talismanic striker Aleksandar Mitrovic (4.08 shots per 90) has finally looked the part in the Premier League this season after some less-than-impressive showings in campaigns gone by and the Serbian racked up another three attempts at Elland Road last weekend.
Willian – who has started just three times in the league since the summer – had five shots in Fulham’s last two games against Aston Villa and Leeds. Attacking midfielder Andreas Pereira (1.55 shots per 90) usually gets at least one strike away per game from his position at number ten.
Anthony Gordon remains Everton’s best performer in both the shots (1.57) and shots on target (2.09) arenas this season and the 21-year-old academy graduate let loose with two efforts against Palace last time out.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin lodged one attempt against the Eagles, though his shot was significant for two reasons. Firstly, his drive found the net and secondly, it was his first shot on target this season. The 25-year-old’s return to full fitness is a massive boost for the Toffees.
Player Goals and Assists
Aleksandar Mitrovic has been on song since scoring twice on the opening weekend of the season against Liverpool and the Serbian striker hit the right notes again against Leeds last week when he buried his ninth goal of the campaign.
Bobby De Cordova-Reid scored his third goal of the season in the same game, while Brazilian veteran Willian notched for Fulham for the first time. Andreas Pereira doubled his tally of assists for the season at Elland Road.
Anthony Gordon still tops the goal-scoring charts at Everton and his man-of-the-match performance against Crystal Palace last weekend included a crucial second-half strike.
Alex Iwobi set up two goals against the Eagles and the re-engineered midfielder has six goal contributions (1G, 5A) overall this term. Dominic Calvert-Lewin scored for the first time since May when he netted last Saturday. His previous Premier League goal before that was also against Palace.
Calvert-Lewin notched a brace in a 3-2 Everton win when the Toffees last visited Craven Cottage in November 2020.
Fulham Cards
Palhinha was brought from Portugal to perform a very specific role for Fulham and the 27-year-old has lived up to his hard-hitting reputation in midfield where he has collected five bookings. Palhinha makes up a combative duo alongside Harrison Reed (four cards) for the Cottagers.
At right-back, Bobby De Cordova-Reid has been committing 1.29 fouls per 90 and the 29-year-old has been cautioned four times in 12 starts as a consequence.
There is a massive amount of card potential in midfield this evening, where Idrissa Gueye (fouled 1.83 times p/90) and Amadou Onana (fouled 1.78 times per/90) will patrol the same waters as Fulham’s Palhinha and Reed. All four players will dish out plenty of punishment at Craven Cottage.
Demarai Gray (fouled 1.67 times p/90) has the acceleration to leave De Cordova-Reid stuck in the mud this evening and the latter could be worth pricing in the card market with that in mind.
Match-Ups to watch
Palhinha vs Idrissa Gueye
Harrison Reed vs Amadou Onana
Bobby De Cordova-Reid vs Demarai Gray
Everton Cards
We’ve already picked out Amadou Onana and Idrissa Gueye as candidates to draw bookings today, though Everton’s midfield duo will also work in tandem to leave opponents with lumps and bumps. They’ve amassed six cards between them this term.
Vitaliy Mykolenko (two cards) provides an interesting option in the card market at left back. The Ukrainian doesn’t like defending against pace and he won’t enjoy being left in the dust by the quicksilver Dan James.
As Fulham’s linkman, Andreas Pereira (fouled 1.1 times per 90) will be in the line of fire later today and Amadou Onana will try to clobber the creativity out of the Brazilian at Craven Cottage.
Aleksandar Mitrovic (fouled 1.36 times per 90) could face similar treatment when he comes looking for the ball in deeper positions. Idrissa Gueye will be waiting to ruffle his feathers.
As we touched on above, Dan James (fouled 2.41 times per 90) faces a bruising evening in London. The Welshman has been Fulham’s most-fouled player this term and Mykolenko’s track record is blotted by quite a few mistimed challenges.
Match-Ups to watch
Amadou Onana vs Andreas Pereira
Idrissa Gueye vs Aleksandar Mitrovic
Vitaliy Mykolenko vs Dan James
