Swansea City welcome Fulham to the Liberty Stadium on Friday night for a clash between two Championship sides pushing for promotion.
The visitors, relegated from the Premier League last season, find themselves in third place, with Swansea sitting just two points behind in fifth.
Match preview
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Swansea head into this game knowing that they must offer more bite in the final third compared with their last home game - a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Millwall, during which the Welsh side never really entered top gear.
Indeed, Steve Cooper, appointed over the summer, will be aware of the fact that Swansea have dropped off slightly since making a very strong start to the 2019-20 campaign.
Having won seven of their first eight games across all competitions, the next eight fixtures for the Swans merited just one victory.
However, the fact that Swansea followed up this poor run with a convincing 1-0 success over local rivals Cardiff City, at a time when they were moving away from the playoff spots, demonstrates that there is a sense of character in this team.
They will need to summon the same spirit and discipline on Friday as they look to bounce back against a strong Fulham side at the Liberty Stadium.
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While Swansea are looking to provide a response to recent lowly performances, Scott Parker's Fulham side will know that they must maintain their recent standards when they travel to Wales.
Tuesday's 3-0 victory over Derby County saw the Cottagers play with an impressive level of zip and intent going forward, with main striker and talisman Aleksandar Mitrovic netting his 13th Championship goal of the season.
That result took Fulham, now with three wins on the bounce, to within sniffing distance of the automatic spots, adding to the feeling that, following a mixed start, this team is going somewhere under Parker this term.
Indeed, the 39-year-old forms part of a wider growing network of relatively young former players - Frank Lampard, Pep Guardiola, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer are all examples - whose main focus is to build a strong platform for long-term success.
Victory at the Liberty, where Swansea have only won one of their last four outings, would only add to the feel-good factor that Parker has brought back to Craven Cottage.
Recent Swansea City form: LWWDLD
Recent Fulham form: WDLWWW
Team News
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Swansea head into this game with three players definitely sidelined due to long-term injuries that will keep them out until at least late next month.
Aldo Kalulu could return before the new year, although Joe Rodon and Jordan Garrick are out until late January and February respectively.
Fulham, on the other hand, face an anxious wait to see if on-loan Bournemouth midfielder Harry Arter will recover in time for the game.
A late call will also be made over Maxime Le Marchand, who has been sidelined with an unknown problem since the start of this month.
Swansea City possible starting lineup:
Woodman; Roberts, Wilmot, Van der Hoorn, Bidwell; Fulton, Grimes; Ayew, Celina, Surridge; Baston
Fulham possible starting lineup:
Rodak; Odoi, Mawson, Ream, Bryan; Johansen, Cairney; Kamara, Reid, Onomah; Mitrovic
We say: Swansea City 1-2 Fulham
Swansea's recent poor record at home, combined with the current feeling of momentum within the ranks at Fulham, means that the visitors are favourites to take all three points in what promises to be an intense affair on Friday night.
Leo Nieboer
