Fulham vs Hull - Statistical Preview

Fulham missed out on moving out of the relegation zone with a 3-1 defeat to Spurs last weekend and will not want a repeat performance against Hull.  Felix Magath’s side have won two out of the last three games and Premier League survival has become a realistic target. 

On a tough day for Fulham at White Hart Lane, John Arne Riise showed that at 33 years old he can still cover plenty of ground over the course of 90 minutes.  The EA SPORTS Player Performance Index shows Riise made 12 defensive contributions (tackles, blocks, interceptions and clearances) against Spurs, only Fernando Amorebieta made more.  However, what stood out was Riise’s determination to provide service to the attacking players and push further up the pitch.  No Fulham player made more attacking contributions (crosses, assists and dribbles) than Riise (5).

Steven Sidwell is the club’s top scorer this season and scored Fulham’s only goal against Tottenham bringing his total to seven. Fulham’s forwards have struggled to find the net this season but Sidwell has shown willing to run beyond the strikers from midfield to create chances.  Sidwell made four attacking contributions during the game and with three more goals this season than second placed Dejagah he could be Fulham’s most likely scorer. 

In defence, Fernando Amorebieta made the most defensive contributions in the Fulham team (20) and was successful in all of his tackles.  Hangeland was also successful in all of his challenges, completing three out of three tackles.

The Tigers will want to improve on their current form after a 0-3 defeat to Arsenal at the KC Stadium. With Hull’s F.A Cup final just around the corner they will want to create some momentum before the biggest game of their season.

With Arsenal controlling the majority of the game last weekend, the Hull strikers will be hoping to have a busier afternoon at Craven Cottage. For a period of the match Shane Long, Nikica Jelavic and Matthew Fryatt were all on the pitch looking to find a break through.  The EA SPORTS Player Performance Index shows Long had the most attempts on goal (4) but all three of the Hull strikers only managed one shot on target each.

Curtis Davis had an action-packed day against the Gunners making 14 clearances, nine more than the next best Hull player. Davis was also successful with all of his tackles.  With Hull still just above the relegation zone in 14^th position Davies will not want his side to concede many more goals. 

Tom Huddlestone and Ahmed Elmohamady patrolled the midfield against Arsenal, with Huddlestone making the most passes in the opponent’s half (25) for Hull and Elmohamady made 3 attacking contributions, only bettered by Shane Long.