2025/26 OPPOSITION FOCUS: FULHAM

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As we gear up for the 2025/26 Premier League campaign we take a closer look at our opponents

2025-06-27T09:30:00.000Z

2025/26 OPPOSITION FOCUS: FULHAM

As we gear up for the 2025/26 Premier League campaign we take a closer look at our opponents

2025-06-27T09:30:00.000Z

As we gear up for the 2025/26 Premier League campaign we take a closer look at our opponents

Today we take a look at Fulham...

What's their history?

Founded as ‘Fulham St Andrew’s Church Sunday School FC’ in 1879, Londoners shortened their name to Fulham in December 1888.

Winners of the West London League at the first attempt, Craven Cottage became Fulham’s home in 1896 and in December 1898 they gained their professional status.

Joining the Football League in 1907, the Cottagers rejected a move to Stamford Bridge resulting in the formation of Chelsea, before eventually gaining promotion to the First Division in 1949.

There were relegations and promotions aplenty between the top flight and Second Division for Fulham, who would then find themselves in the Third Division come 1969.

It took just two campaigns for the Cottagers to return to the Second Division and then reach the FA Cup final four seasons later in 1975.

Famous faces such as Bobby Moore and George Best appeared at Craven Cottage in the years to come but the club was on a slow downward slope. At their lowest point, a 17th-place finish in the fourth tier occurred in 1995/96.

A takeover from Egyptian businessman Mohamed Al-Fayed in the summer of 1997 breathed new life into the Cottagers, who achieved three promotions in just five seasons to rise up to the Premier League in 2001.

Winning the Intertoto Cup the following year, the London side established themselves enjoyed a run to the UEFA Europa League final in 2010.

Having yo-yoed between the Premier League and Championship between 2018 & 2022, Fulham have now established themselves as top division regulars.

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Stadium

Craven Cottage is lodged on the banks of the River Thames in West London. The 29,589-seater was originally built in 1780 and Fulham played there first match there in 1896.

Over the years the stadium has hosted various Rugby League fixtures and international football matches.

The Clarets have travelled their 50 times over the years and have won their last three tips to the Cottage, that last of which was in December 2023.

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Last season

League wise, Fulham fans would likely argue that the first half of the season was better than the second.

The Cottagers lost just four of their opening 19 Premier League matches, compared to 10 defeats in the second 19.

Marco Silva’s side enjoyed a positive run in the Emirates FA Cup, beating Watford, Wigan Athletic, and Manchester United before losing to eventual winners Crystal Palace in the quarter finals.

Their Carabao Cup run came to an end at the third-round stage and the Cottagers ended their season with a 2-0 defeat at home to Manchester City.

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Who's the boss?

After a playing career that spanned 15 years across various Portuguese clubs, Marco Silva embarked on his first managerial job with Estoril in 2011.

Then came spells at Sporting Lisbon and Olympiakos, before Silva moved to England for the first time with Hull City.

His time at the Tigers lasted just four months, though, as he embarked on a new challenge with Watford following the Yorkshire club’s relegation.

A successful year at Watford earned him the top job at Everton, before the 47-year-old joined Fulham in July 2021.

He earned promotion from the Championship in his first season in London and has since stabilised the club with finishes of 10th, 13th and 11th.

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Memorable meeting

24/01/2021 – Fulham 0-3 Burnley (Craven Cottage)

Jay Rodriguez hit a brace as the Clarets progressed to the fifth round of the FA Cup for just the second time in 10 years.

The striker’s first goal came via his head on the half hour and Rodriguez doubled Burnley's lead from the penalty spot in the second half.

Defender Kevin Long completed the scoring with less than 10 minutes to go, latching onto a Rodriguez pass to slot home.

Burnley: Peacock-Farrell; Bardsley, Long, Tarkowski (Dunne 86), Pieters (Lowton 86), Gudmundsson, Stephens, Cork, McNeil (Benson 86), Rodriguez (Mumbongo 88), Vydra

Unused substitutes: Norris, Mee, Brownhill, Westwood, Wood

Fulham: Rodak; Hector, Ream, Adarabioyo (Carvalho 82), De Cordova-Reid (Kebano 68), Onomah, Lemina, Anguissa (Loftus-Cheek 68), Bryan, Kamara, Mitrovic

Unused substitutes:: Areola, Tete, Odoi, Reed, Cavaleiro, Lookman