Two sides enjoying strong starts to the Premier League season will meet at Craven Cottage on Saturday as Fulham entertain Aston Villa.
Fulham have taken 11 points from their opening seven games and their only league defeats have come narrowly on the road against Manchester United on the opening weekend and at Manchester City before this month's international break.
Villa are three points better off than their hosts and look set to challenge for a top-four finish once again, while they have also been catching the eye in Europe, winning their opening two UEFA Champions League games away to Young Boys and memorably at home to Bayern Munich.
With another UEFA Champions League fixture to come next midweek against Bologna, the games are continuing to come thick and fast for Villa, but they cannot afford to take their eye off the ball at Craven Cottage.
Aston Villa to win - 9/5
Fulham have made Craven Cottage a tough place to go for visiting teams in 2024 as not only are they unbeaten on home soil this season - taking seven points from three games - but only four teams have left the venue with a victory since the turn of the year and all those sides finished in last season's top seven.
Manchester City, Liverpool and Newcastle are three of those teams, but the problem for Marco Silva’s side is Aston Villa are the other, claiming a 2-1 victory on their last visit in February.
That success forms part of a strong recent record Villa hold when facing Fulham, as they have won each of the last three meetings between the two sides and five of the previous six.
Unai Emery's team will also head into this game unbeaten on their travels this season across all competitions, registering four successive wins before drawing 2-2 at Ipswich in their most recent away fixture.
This will be anything but an easy game for Villa and will be a true test of their credentials to challenge for another top-four finish, but at 9/5 they provide plenty of value to become the first team to beat Fulham at Craven Cottage this season.
Over 2.5 goals & both teams to score - 20/21
The two meetings between these sides last season featured at least three goals and saw both teams hit the back of the net and a similar scenario is expected to play out on Saturday.
Fulham have averaged two goals-per-game at home this season, running in three in their most recent fixture at Craven Cottage against Newcastle, but they have also failed to keep a clean-sheet in seven on their own patch, a run that dates back to March.
Villa's away matches also tend to be open, as they have scored at least two goals in all five of their road fixtures this season, but their only clean-sheet on their travels was against Young Boys in the UEFA Champions League.
Premier League shutouts have been particularly hard to come by for Villa on the road, as they have only kept one across their last 10 such matches and that came in surprising fashion at Arsenal in April.
This should prove an open and entertaining contest between two in-form sides so expect the goals to flow at both ends.
Ollie Watkins to score anytime - 7/4
Villa forward Ollie Watkins enjoyed his best scoring season in 2023/24, netting 29 times for club and country, and after a perhaps slower than expected start this term, he now appears to be finding his feet.
The England star has netted four goals across his last four Premier League appearances and also enjoyed a successful international break, providing an assist in the Three Lions' 3-1 win in Finland.
Watkins is facing extra competition for his place in Villa's starting line-up this season from the in-form Jhon Duran, but he appears to be rising to that challenge and he will be confident of netting against a Fulham side he has enjoyed facing over the years.
In 11 previous appearances against the Cottagers, Watkins has netted five times, with three of those strikes coming last season, including both goals in Villa's 2-1 success at Craven Cottage in February.
He is in form and enjoys facing Fulham so do not be surprised if Watkins hits the back of the net this weekend.
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Fulham - 29/20
Draw - 5/2
Aston Villa - 9/5
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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.