Fulham-Bournemouth Preview

Marco Silva wants to see Fulham put their eventful FA Cup loss against Manchester United behind them when they visit Bournemouth in the Premier League on Saturday.

Fulham capitulated in remarkable fashion in their quarter-final defeat to the Red Devils, with Silva joining Willian and Aleksandar Mitrovic in being shown a red card.

Mitrovic's sending-off came after he appeared to push referee Chris Kavanagh, an action for which the striker has since apologised.

Reflecting on the defeat at Old Trafford, Silva said: "We made a mistake in that moment. Mitro made a mistake as well and, of course, we regret the situation.

"We have to apologise (to) all the fans, the people that love football, because after such a good performance from ourselves, that incident made a huge impact in the game."

Looking ahead to Saturday's match, he added: "We have to be at our best level. After the Arsenal and Brentford matches, the level of our performance improved clearly for United.

"The motivation and desire was there, and I saw big improvements from the previous games. It's important for us to keep those standards, to play at our best level, because it will be tough."

Bournemouth signed off for the international break with a meek 3-0 defeat at Aston Villa, a result which leaves them 19th in the table, albeit just a point from safety.

However, the Cherries are targeting back-to-back top-flight home wins for the first time since February 2020, and the hiatus has allowed Gary O'Neil to nurse Marcus Tavernier back to fitness.

"Marcus is back fit," he said. "Hamed Traore played some minutes in the international break, but had a bit of illness. He's doing okay.

"The rest of the boys that were away came back fit, so there's no injuries there and that's the most important thing for me over an international break. We don't want to lose anyone."

Bournemouth - Dominic Solanke

Solanke hit the net in both of Bournemouth's Championship meetings with Fulham last season, as the Cherries joined the Cottagers in winning automatic promotion. With three goals and four assists in the Premier League this term, Solanke has the joint-most goal involvements of any Bournemouth player (also Philip Billing and Tavernier).

Fulham - Andreas Pereira

As well as leading Fulham's assist charts after teeing up six Premier League goals for team-mates this campaign, Pereira has hit the net twice in the top flight for the Cottagers. With talismanic striker Mitrovic suspended, Fulham may need inspiration from their midfield - and Pereira could be the man to provide it.

Fulham have lost their last two Premier League games, but Silva's team are yet to lose three in a row this term.

Since the resumption of the Premier League following the World Cup, no side has lost more games (eight), won fewer points (eight) or scored fewer goals (seven) than Bournemouth. However, the Cherries did boost their survival hopes by beating Liverpool 1-0 in their last home league game.

Each of the last three league meetings between Bournemouth and Fulham have been drawn, with the away side opening the scoring on each occasion.

Bournemouth 33.4 per cent

Fulham37.4 per cent

Draw29.2 per cent

Updated March 31, 2023