Fulham vs Stoke City October 5, 2013

Fulham who lost against Cardiff City at home last time around, will look to change their fortunes for the season.

The Cottagers have been un-impressive so far in the season with just 7 points out of possible 2 and rooted at the bottom of the table.

Fulham also have numerous of injuries to deal with. With Parker, Dejagah, Briggs, Stekelenburg and Hughes all out through injuries, Martin Jol faces a huge setback to lineup his team against average Stoke City side.

Meanwhile, Stoke City boss Mark Hughes hasn’t yet got his answers to his critics as his side hasn’t showed determination and effort to incline to mid table position and would hope that answers would soon come from his players.

Also, Tehe game will be officiated by Roger East who was a fourth official in the London derby between Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea, along with assistant referees Ganfield and Holmes with fourth official, Mohareb.

Mark Hughes returns to Craven Cottage as his Stoke City team go up against Fulham in a battle between two sides currently in the bottom six.

Hughes has admitted this week that he made a mistake in leaving Fulham when he did, having quit the club in the summer of 2011 after leading them to eighth place and Europa League qualification through the Fair Play League.

Martin Jol came in to replace Hughes and is under pressure ahead of Saturday's meeting with his predecessor after a disappointing start to the season for Fulham.

The Cottagers have not won in the league since beating Sunderland on the opening day and a run of four defeats in five games, including last weekend's last-gasp defeat by Cardiff City, has left them in the bottom three.

Stoke are three points clear of Fulham in 15th spot after an inconsistent series of results so far this term.

They have earned praise for the brand of football Hughes has introduced at the Britannia Stadium and played some tough opponents, but last weekend's 1-0 loss at home to Norwich City halted their momentum.

Contact