Fulham open the Sky Bet Championship season at home to Newcastle reeling from the loss of star striker Ross McCormack.

Sone Aluko, a free transfer from Hull, is set to make his debut in attack after McCormack, who scored 42 goals in two seasons with Fulham, joined Aston Villa for £12m on Thursday morning.

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Goalkeeper David Button, full-backs Scott Malone and Denis Odoi, centre-half Tomas Kalas and midfielders Floyd Ayite and Kevin McDonald have also arrived this summer and are pushing for debuts in the Sky Live curtain-raiser.

Defender Ryan Fredericks is out after ankle surgery but striker Cauley Woodrow hopes to overcome an ankle knock.

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Cottagers boss Slavisa Jokanovic says he is relishing taking on the title favourites.

"It's the start of the Championship and it's a good moment at the beginning to play against a strong team," he said.

"They invested a lot of money and there's a lot of expectation in front of them. At the same time, we are a big club too and we're going to arrive with similar ambition to Newcastle. We're playing at our home, in front of our supporters, and we have to be strong and approach it in a positive way."

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Rafa Benitez's hot tips for the title Newcastle begin a new chapter but have splashed the cash on a series of new recruits.

Dwight Gayle, Matt Ritchie, Matz Sels, Jesus Gamez, Issac Hayden, Grant Hanley, Ciaran Clark and Mohamed Diame have all arrived in the summer, with 15 players departing.

Diame, the latest of the incomers, was not awarded a squad number in the initial allocation but may yet feature.

"We are bringing in players who know the Championship, and the mentality of the team has changed a lot," said Benitez.

"The players are working very hard and they are ready. We know the Championship is very difficult and we have a lot of respect for Fulham but we have the hope and belief that we can do well."

Watch Fulham v Newcastle live on Sky Sports 1 HD from 7pm, or watch for £6.99 without a contract, on NOW TV.  Also follow with our live blog on skysports.com and the Sky Sports apps.

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