Fulham vs Newcastle Prediction: Faint hint of Europe for mercurial Magpies

Fulham welcome Newcastle United to Craven Cottage in their final Premier League game of the season (4pm BST, Sky Sports+). The visitors have a whisper of a chance at European football, with three points separating Chelsea in eighth and Eddie Howe’s charges, who are sat in 10th on 49 points each. But it would take an almighty seven-goal swing for the Magpies to do it.

Fulham are also on 49 points in 13th, but they are 13 goals off Chelsea. It would take a miracle for Marco Silva’s men. Read on for my Fulham vs Newcastle predictions with the latest team news and match odds.

Team News

Fulham are missing full back Ryan Sessegnon due to a hamstring injury. The former Spurs man has been sidelined since April with the ailment. In a cruel twist of fate, his other hamstring saw him miss six games over the winter months.

The Magpies are missing Sandro Tonali, who came off nursing his hamstring in the 3-1 win at West Ham. He joins midfield colleague Joelinton on the sidelines, with Joe Willock likely to benefit from their absence and start at Craven Cottage.

Football Odds

Howe is also without Lewis Miley (fibula fracture), Emil Krafth (knee), Fabian Schar (foot) and Tino Livramento (thigh) as the defence takes the brunt of the medical devastation.

Fulham vs Newcastle Odds

Fulham are marketed at 9/5 to end their Premier League campaign with a win. The visitors are priced at 13/10 while you can back the stalemate at 11/4.

Draw @ 11/4

Both sides want this. The Magpies are looking at an outside chance of European football to put some shine on a shoddy season. Fulham are looking to send potentially-departing manager Marco Silva off with a win, with the added bonus of climbing one or two lucrative league places.

Howe pulled Newcastle’s nose up this month, bookending a 1-1 draw against Nottingham Forest with 3-1 wins over a mercurial Brighton side and the relegation-toiling West Ham. 

But the two wins came at St James’ and they aren’t as potent a proposition away from home. Newcastle have won just once in their last five away outings.

Fulham are in a slump. With relegation not on their radar, many expected the Cottagers to push on for a European place. If they’d snagged just one more point from somewhere, they would be in with a shout of Conference League football. But a winless run of three games blunted those ambitions.

Fulham will bite down on the gumshield here though, perhaps inspired by waving goodbye to the beloved Silva. Newcastle have a lot of frailties that a pair of recent victories cannot completely disguise. I reckon these two teams cancel each other out on Sunday.

Both teams to score and over 3.5 total goals @ 7/4

Newcastle have the sixth-worst defence in the league. They also have seven goals in their last three outings, including two 3-1 victories. 

With Fulham at a low ebb, the gaps will appear for some goals on Sunday. Equally, I feel like the Cottagers can create openings of their own in an injury-hit Newcastle defence. With Howe’s boys chasing an unlikely European tilt and Silva’s men trying to send him off in style, I reckon we’ll get plenty of goals here.

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