Aston Villa v Fulham: five key battles
Fulham travel to Aston Villa on Saturday with recent history on their side – they haven’t lost any of the last four meetings between the two sides. Here are the five match-ups we think could determine the outcome at Villa Park.
Fulham defence v Ross McCormack
McCormack’s £12m move to Villa has not exactly gone as planned – he has only two goals in 10 Championship games and started their win at Reading on the bench. But he may earn a recall against his old club, either up front or just in behind the main striker – if he does, it will be interesting to see how the Fulham defence deal with him.
Chris Martin v Nathan Baker
McCormack’s replacement, Martin, is starting to settle in at Craven Cottage – after grabbing his first goal for the Whites at Barnsley last weekend, he inspired the comeback against Norwich on Tuesday. With Villa captain Tommy Elphick injured, Baker will again step in – he enjoys a physical battle, but Martin has the attributes to get the better of him.
Scott Malone v Albert Adomah
Former Harrow Borough winger Adomah will undergo a fitness test having picked up to knock on his ankle on Tuesday, but if he comes through he will start on the right for Villa, whatever formation they opt for. Malone will need to have his wits about him.
Tom Cairney v Aly Cissokho or Jordan Amavi
Fulham will also be assessing a talismanic wide player, after Cairney missed the game against Norwich in midweek. Should he start, he will be a key threat to Villa’s Achilles heel of left-back. Cissokho may be dropped after conceding penalties in consecutive games, while France Under-21 international Amavi is better going forward and prone to switching off at the back.
Scott Parker v Mile Jedinak
With a combined age of 68, the two veterans will slug it out for control of the middle of the park. Parker, 36, has missed only one Championship game this season but is showing no ill-effects of his workload – 32-year-old Australian international Jedinak, however, has struggled to juggle the demands of playing for both club and country.
