One of Fulham’s star players, Jimenez could pose a grave danger to the home team. — Reuters
QUALIFICATION for next season’s Champions League intensifies this weekend with a few telling fixtures lined up, perhaps no more so than Fulham’s visit to Aston Villa.
Unai Emery’s side’s bid for Europe’s elite competition would almost certainly be ruined by a defeat at the hands of the London club, or at the very least, their chances would be severely limited.
Villa are seventh in the standings with 57 points, and with only five points separating the five teams up to third place, they know they are still very much in the hunt for an immediate return to Champions League action next term.
Newcastle United are in third place with 62 points, Manchester City are fourth on 61, and Chelsea and Nottingham Forest are fifth and sixth, tied at 60 points apiece.
England will feature five clubs in the Champions League next season, which gives Villa everything to play for when Fulham make the trip to Villa Park Stadium for the early kick-off today.
Villa were bounced out of the Champions League a fortnight ago when they came unstuck against joint tournament favourites Paris St Germain.
Despite the 5-4 aggregate exit, Villa held their heads high with a 3-2 win in the quarterfinal second leg clash at Villa Park.
It prompted Emery to call on his squad to return to Europe’s top table without delay. And a win against Fulham today would help them go some way to achieving just that.
But it won’t be easy. Not against Marco Silva’s charges, who seem to keep their best performances for the teams at the top end of the standings.
Fulham have picked up 21 points against teams that started the day in the top six, and that’s the best return among all teams in the league this season.
Indeed, they have the distinction of being one of only two clubs to inflict defeat on newly crowned champions Liverpool. That was the famous 3-2 win over the Merseysiders at Craven Cottage in the first week of last month.
But Fulham have also suffered reversals against Man City, Arsenal and Villa themselves.
Both sides will undoubtedly use that result as motivation.
Villa will seek to do the league double over their visitors, and Fulham will seek revenge for a 3-1 defeat last October.
The home side will look to top scorer Ollie Watkins and Man United loanee Marcus Rashford to lead the attack.
Amadou Onana, a formidable addition in midfield, and Leon Bailey, a creative player who can change things rather quickly at times, will also be expected to weigh in with contributions of substance.
Fulham’s South American strikers, Mexican Raul Jimenez and Brazilian Rodrigo Muniz have served the club admirably in this campaign, and they too will be watched closely by the opposition and fans alike.
All in all, it should make for a fiery contest, as a win for eighth-placed Fulham, chasing one of the other European spots – eight for England next season – would take the Cottagers to within three points of Villa.
Arsenal’s clash with Bournemouth at the Emirates should see the home team collect maximum points.
The Gunners will aim to use this match, if for no other reason, to put the narrow 1-0 midweek defeat by PSG behind them as they prepare for the second leg of that Champions League semifinal on Wednesday.
