Newcastle United Aims To Capitalise On Southampton Victory Ahead Of Fulham Clash

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Eddie Howe is optimistic about Newcastle United's prospects as they prepare to face Fulham in the Premier League. Following a significant victory over Southampton, Howe's team climbed to fifth place, just one point shy of the top four. The manager was particularly impressed with his players' creativity, especially after their previous 4-1 defeat against Bournemouth. Newcastle's expected goals (xG) stood at 2.93 from 17 shots, and Howe hopes for a similar performance.

"I thought a massive win for us after last week, that was really tough to take," Howe stated. "The performance and the result [against Bournemouth] weren't anywhere near what we have been of late. So I think the game, especially conceding so early, was a huge response from the players."

Fulham recently suffered a narrow loss to Manchester United due to Lisandro Martinez's deflected goal. They have not won in their last five home league games since defeating Brighton 3-1 in December. Despite this, Fulham has performed well away from home, securing a 2-0 victory over Leicester City earlier this month. Marco Silva's team is currently tenth in the standings with European football still within reach.

However, Fulham faces challenges with key injuries. Midfielder Harry Wilson requires surgery and will be out for approximately ten weeks. Additionally, defender Kenny Tete is unavailable, prompting Silva to seek replacements before the transfer window closes on Monday.

Newcastle's Alexander Isak has been in exceptional form since December, scoring more Premier League goals than any other player with 13 goals. He ranks second among Newcastle's top scorers with 48 goals, trailing only Alan Shearer. Isak needs one more goal to become Sweden's leading scorer in the Premier League.

For Fulham, Alex Iwobi stands out as a crucial player. In their recent match against Manchester United, he posed the most significant threat for Fulham. Iwobi leads the league in progressive passes this season with 132 and has played a higher percentage of progressive passes than most players attempting over 500 passes.

Match Prediction: Newcastle Win

Newcastle has won seven of their last eight Premier League matches and accumulated more points than any other team during this period except Liverpool. They remain unbeaten in their last eight home games against Fulham, securing five wins and three draws while keeping six clean sheets since May 2009.

The Magpies have demonstrated resilience by recovering from losing positions this season, earning 15 points after conceding first—second only to Manchester City's 17 points. In contrast, Fulham won their previous encounter against Newcastle but have only completed a league double over them twice before.

Fulham's Away Performance

Fulham has shown strength on the road this season, collecting 16 points from 11 away matches—just two fewer than last season's total from 19 games. Their average of 1.45 points per away game marks their best performance in a single Premier League season.

Consistency has been vital for Silva’s squad as they are the only team with multiple players who have played every minute of every game this season—Bernd Leno and Antonee Robinson being those players.

The Opta win probability suggests Newcastle has a 55.3% chance of winning against Fulham’s 21.6%, while there is a 23% likelihood of a draw.