Previews

Cottage hosts key battle

Author: Lynda Collins
Date: 19/10/2009
Football betting

Fulham host Hull City this Monday at Craven Cottage with both teams facing the prospect of starting the match in the relegation zone.

Both clubs are stuck on seven points entering the weekend and, with all the other teams playing on Saturday or Sunday, good results for sides in the bottom seven would put the pressure on Hull and Fulham.

The Cottagers have followed the example of a number of clubs who have struggled to juggle the demands of a European campaign with life in the Premier League.

Alongside their Europa League commitments, Roy Hodgson's side have won just two of their seven domestic games are find themselves down in 15th place in the table.

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Their last outing was a 2-2 draw with West Ham which was secured despite the dismissal of Kagisho Dikgacoi.

The South Africa midfielder begins his three-match ban against the Tigers.

Elsewhere, Damien Duff (calf) and David Stockdale (knee) remain sidelined, while Simon Davies (ankle) is set on making a return this month.

"I hope I'll be able to start running over the weekend and crack on with training next week. If all goes to plan I should be back and available by the end of the month," he told the club's official website.

Hull arrive in the capital buoyed by their 2-1 victory over Wigan Athletic before the international break.

Before the much-needed three points, embattled manager Phil Brown was forced to answer questions about his future on the back of a dismal start to the season which had left his side in the bottom three.

The Tigers are still languishing down in 18th place but at least the pressure has been lifted on the KC Stadium outfit for the next few weeks.

Brown will be hoping to name Jimmy Bullard on the bench for the trip to the midfielder's former club.

Bullard has played just 37 minutes for Hull after picking up a knee injury on his debut back in February immediately after his club record £5million move north.

The England midfielder has been eased back into action in recent weeks and could make it into the 18-man squad.

"The beauty of the win against Wigan buys him and me more time," said Brown in the build-up to this game.

"The temptation of a manager under pressure with four points from seven games is different to that of a manager with seven points after eight games."

Elsewhere, skipper Ian Ashbee and Anthony Gardner (both knee) remain sidelined.

Hull won both games against Fulham last season - both of which were tight affairs settled only by one-goal margins.

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