Fulham’s fabulous season finishes in South Yorkshire with an afternoon that has absolutely nothing riding on it for Marco Silva’s side. The Portuguese perfectionist, much better with the ruthless ripping apart Luton on Monday after a spell of lacklustre displays, will want to end the campaign in convincing fashion – and might even have reminded the Whites that they would need to score three goals to overtake Manchester City’s top second tier tally of 108 from 2001/02. Aleksandar Mitrovic needs a solitary strike to nudge ahead of Frank Newton as Fulham’s leading goalscorer in a single season: but the Serbian admitted in the Craven Cottage dressing room that he isn’t motivated by records.
The side with everything to play for are Sheffield United, who can clinch a place in the play-offs with a victory this lunchtime. Back-to-back wins over Cardiff City and Queens Park Rangers have seen the Blades climb into fifth ahead of the final weekend of the campaign – something completely unthinkable when Slavisa Jokanovic was sacked with United in sixteenth last November. The former Fulham boss didn’t receive any of the backing he was promised but his replacement by Paul Heckingbottom still raised eyebrows. The ex-Barnsley manager, who steadied the ship in the wake of Chris Wilder’s departure towards the end of last season, has won the Blades 49 points in 26 matches, allowing them to dream to of an immediate return to the top flight.
Sheffield United, who won the reverse fixture at Craven Cottage before Christmas, have lost just once at Bramall Lane since November and will be full of confidence having ruined Paul Warburton’s farewell to Shepherd’s Bush as QPR manager last Friday. Heckingbottom may not want to tinker too much with the side that triumphed at the Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium, with the classy Conor Hourihane an option in the engine room after the Irishman shook off a knocking having rounded off the scoring at Rangers as a substitute. Morgan Gibbs-White, who has had a brilliant season on loan from Wolves, should line up alongside the superb Sander Berge, behind Iliman Ndiaye, the scorer of that sensational solo strike in SW6. The hosts are definitely without talisman Billy Sharp, who could yet miss the play-offs after injury his calf against Cardiff.
Ollie Norwood, a proven performer at this level to whom Fulham fans need no introduction, should anchor the midfield alongside John Fleck and George Baldock is pushing to replace Ben Osborn at right wing-back. Perhaps the Blades’ biggest asset is the way that Heckingbottom has revived the 3-4-1-2 system that proved so successful under Wilder – a formation that has been Fulham’s Achilles heel this term. Ordinarily, it might appear a tall order to beat the league’s runaway leaders on the last day, but Silva is set to significantly rotate his side after the demolition of the Hatters on Bank Holiday Monday.
Paulo Gazzaniga could make a rare start between the sticks and there might be a farewell outing for Michael Hector, who is preparing to leave Craven Cottage when his contract expires in June. Jean Michael Seri and Neeskens Kebano might also return to Silva’s starting line-up, with Bobby Decordova-Reid poised to fill the number ten role in the absence of Liverpool-bound Fabio Carvalho. It might also be the moment for Silva to hand senior debuts to two of Steve Wigley’s under 23 stars, with seventeen year-old Luke Harris and the captain of the PL2 Division 2 champions, Sonny Hilton, having both made the trip to the steel city. The Whites will want to end a magical year in style – even if the party will be in full swing in a packed away end.
MY FULHAM XI (4-2-3-1): Gazzaniga; Tete, A. Robinson, Hector, Ream; Chalobah, Seri; Wilson, Kebano, Decordova-Reid; Mitrovic. Subs: Rodak, Bryan, Mawson, Cairney, Harris, Hilton, Muniz.
