West Ham United will have been praying for some negative noises to come out of Craven Cottage as Fulham boss Marco Silva sweats on the fitness of star man Harry Wilson.
The Welsh wizard continued his fabulous campaign with a goal and an assist as Fulham swaggered past Tottenham Hotspur last time out; a 2-1 home win far more dominant than the tight scoreline suggests.
Harry Wilson ‘twisted his ankle’ against Spurs though, necessitating his removal with around 20 minutes to go.
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Given how important this game is for West Ham United’s survival prospects – this is another matchday in which Nuno Espirito Santo’s side can leapfrog Nottingham Forest into 17th – the prospect of facing a Wilson-less Fulham is one the claret and blue faithful would snap your hands off for, even if the Cottagers do have the likes of Samuel Chukwueze waiting in the wings.
Speaking at his pre-match press conference, Marco Silva confirmed that Wilson – who is out of contract this summer and sure to have plenty of interest – is still being assessed ahead of Wednesday’s 7.30pm kick-off.
Harry Wilson touch and go as Fulham eye West Ham United visit
One player Fulham will definitely be without, though, is Brazilian winger Kevin. The £35 million record signing underwent surgery this week. This means Oscar Bobb, so impressive on his full debut against Tottenham, is likely to start again on the left.
Chukwueze, formerly of AC Milan and Villarreal, will surely come in for Wilson if he does not pass a late fitness test. Joachim Andersen is available as well after illness, though former West Ham defender Issa Diop was ‘brilliant’ in the Dane’s absence as the reigning Europa League winners slipped closer to the abyss.
“Everything went well for Kevin [in surgery], but it’s difficult to say the time frame [for a return],” Silva said. “The last decisions on some players will be made tomorrow.
“Joachim Andersen will be back, 100 per cent sure. Harry Wilson is one of the players we have to keep assessing. Let’s see.”
Perennial overachievers Fulham remain on track for another comfortable mid-table finish. The Cottagers are looking to secure a third win in a row, while potentially closing the gap on Chelsea in the European spots.
“We are in a good moment. We want to keep that momentum going,” said Silva, whose side triumphed 1-0 at the London Stadium in December. Ollie Scarles trudged off in tears after his miskick helped Raul Jimenez snaffle a late winner.
“Our first target is to break the points tally [of 54] again. If we do that, we know we are going to be in a good position in the table. We are in a position where we want to climb the table.”
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El Hadji Malick Diouf faces a big test at Craven Cottage
In what may be a good omen for Nuno and co, Wilson has only failed to start three of 28 league matches this season.
Fulham did not to win any of those, although they came against Man United, Chelsea and Newcastle.
If the former Liverpool kid is fit to start, he will go head-to-head with El Hadji Malick Diouf.
Diouf is the Premier League’s most potent full-back in terms of assists, with a division-high five to his name. His performances up against tricky wingers, though, have been something of a mixed bag, even if Diouf excelled up against Amad Diallo during that 1-1 draw with Man United last month.
The Senegalese starlet is expected to keep his place at left-back ahead of Scarles, who committed that costly 85th minute blunder against Fulham two-and-a-half months ago.
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