Fulham will aim to secure their first Premier League win under manager Alvaro Arbeloa when they visit Ipswich Town at Portman Road on Saturday. The Cottagers are 19th in the table with just two points from five games, extending their winless league run to seven matches since Marco Silva's departure.
Alvaro Arbeloa's side showed resilience in their last outing, a 1-1 home draw with Manchester United on September 20. That result, which featured a late own goal from Lisandro Martínez, followed a 3-2 League Cup victory at West Ham. Their current form of two draws and three defeats in the league, however, leaves them 13 points adrift of leaders Manchester City.
Ipswich's defensive vulnerability
Ipswich Town have failed to keep a clean sheet in all seven of their matches this season, a vulnerability Fulham will look to exploit. Kieran McKenna's attacking plans are built around Leif Davis, who has scored twice and created four chances in 450 minutes, and the creative threat of Julio Enciso.
Team news and key absences
Fulham will be without Tom Cairney due to a knee injury and Kenny Tete with a head injury. Ipswich are missing the suspended Abdul Fatawu and defender Charlie Taylor, who has a knee problem.
Fulham's most direct route to goal may be through Joshua King. The forward has scored two goals and put seven of his 14 shots on target in 427 minutes this term. "King has scored 2 goals and put 7 of his 14 shots on target in 427 minutes, Fulham’s most direct route to goal," said the striker. In midfield, Alexander Iwobi has created 10 chances, while Oscar Bobb has set up eight.
The visitors' recent form reads L L L D D, while Ipswich's is W L L W L. Both teams have scored in four of Fulham's seven league and cup games this season. The full schedule for the weeks ahead is on our fixtures page. Fulham's next assignment is a trip to Portman Road on October 10, where Ipswich currently sit 11th.
