Fulham vs Sunderland. Sky Bet Championship.
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Friday 27 April 2018 23:41, UK
Fulham boss Slavisa Jokanovic is unlikely to make wholesale changes as he attempts to guide his side into second place in the Sky Bet Championship with victory over Sunderland on Friday night.
Jokanovic has named the same side for the last three games, which have yielded victories over Reading and Millwall and a home draw with Brentford to extend the club's unbeaten run to 22 league matches.
Striker Floyd Ayite has missed those three games with a hamstring injury, as has on-loan Liverpool frontman Sheyi Ojo with an unspecified knock. Fulham head into the fixture sitting in third place, but just a point behind Cardiff in second.
Sunderland will be without Republic of Ireland midfielder Aiden McGeady after he finally succumbed to a heel injury. Manager Chris Coleman has revealed McGeady has been having injections to manage the problem for six weeks, but with relegation confirmed, he will now sit out.
Full-back Bryan Oviedo will also be missing after undergoing treatment for hamstring and lower back injuries, although he is due to return to training next week. Central defender Lamine Kone and striker Josh Maja are expected to shake off knocks, but full-back Billy Jones is rated at only 50-50.
Fulham have lost their last three home matches against Sunderland in all competitions, conceding 10 goals across those matches.
The Black Cats have won three of their last four matches against the Cottagers in all competitions (D1), beating them 1-0 at the Stadium of Light earlier this season.
Fulham are currently on a run of 22 league matches unbeaten, last losing in the Championship on 16th December 2017, to Sunderland, 1-0 at the Stadium of Light.
Sunderland are unbeaten in their last three away league matches in the league (W1 D2), and have not gone four in a row without losing on the road since May 2016 (five games).
Fulham have scored first in their last 15 league games, the longest run of any side in England's top four tiers this season.
If Sunderland lose, the Black Cats will become the first side since Wolverhampton Wanderers in 1983/84 and 1984/85 to finish rock bottom of the top two divisions of English Football in back-to-back seasons, and just the third side to ever achieve such a feat (also Fulham in 1967/68 and 1968/69).
Fulham probably couldn't ask for a better game at this stage of the season, it's a massive chance to get themselves back above Cardiff and into pole position in the race for automatic promotion.
You wonder what mood Sunderland will arrive in after their relegation last weekend. It's a long journey down to London for Chris Coleman and his team and it's probably one they'd rather not make. This is an absolute home banker for me.
David Prutton predicts: 3-0 with Aleksandar Mitrovic to score first (14/1 with Sky Bet)
