The Sky Blues will make the visit to league leaders Fulham this Sunday at Craven Cottage. Here’s everything you need to know about our opponents.
Founded: 1879
Stadium: Craven Cottage
Capacity: 25,700
Nicknames: The Cottagers, The Lilywhites, The Whites
Address: Stevenage Road, London SW6 6HH
Pitch size: 100 x 65 metres
The opposition:
Fulham currently sit top of the Sky Bet Championship table with 83 points from 39 games – a total of 25 wins, 8 draws and 6 losses. Last time out, Fulham took the three points from their visit to Middlesbrough on Wednesday courtesy of Aleksandar Mitrovic’s 73rd minute winner.
The Serbian striker has scored on average just under one goal per game so far this campaign, netting 38 goals as well as recording 7 assists in 39 games played.
This weekend’s opponents suffered relegation from the Premier League last season, occupying 18th place, while also making it to the fourth round of both the FA Cup and Carabao Cup.
Since then, former Watford and Everton manager Marco Silva has replaced former Fulham boss Scott Parker over the summer, and has made one January addition to his squad, capturing the signing of defender Neco Williams on loan from Liverpool.
The Manager:
Fulham boss Marco Silva spent his playing days predominantly at right-back, making his most appearances for Portuguese club Estoril.
Silva immediately demonstrated his managerial prowess after retiring as a player by being named Manager of the Year in his first season in charge of Estoril, guiding the club to a league title that season.
Silva was appointed Sporting CP boss in 2014 following two seasons in the Primera Liga with Estoril, and he guided his new club to a third place league finish to earn Champions League football as well as a Taça de Portugal in his only season at the club.
Silva was then appointed as Olympiacos boss in 2015, and he instantly became a success at his new club when he won his first seventeen league matches to claim the league title.
Silva’s first job in England came in 2017, when he was appointed manager at Hull City. With Hull at the bottom of the Premier League at the time of Silva’s appointment, The Tigers went on to narrowly miss out on survival, however Silva earned plaudits for his efforts in trying to turn around the club’s fortunes.
A short stint at Watford preceded a move to Goodison Park in 2018, where wins for Everton over the likes of Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United saw Silva lead the club to eighth place in the Premier League.
Having waited for his next challenge since departing Everton in 2019, Silva joined Fulham last summer and has since led the club’s climb to the top of the Championship this season so far.
Last Six Games:
Won - Middlesbrough 0-1 Fulham (Sky Bet Championship)
Won - QPR 0-2 Fulham (Sky Bet Championship)
Lost - West Brom 1-0 Fulham (Sky Bet Championship)
Drew - Barnsley 1-1 Fulham (Sky Bet Championship)
Won - Swansea 1-5 Fulham (Sky Bet Championship)
Won - Fulham 2-0 Blackburn Rovers (Sky Bet Championship)
Last Time We Met: Sky Blues 4-1 Fulham
The Sky Blues recorded a sixth successive home win of the season back in October when City scored four to ensure victory.
McFadzean’s own-goal inside 20 minutes gave the visitors the advantage going into half time, however a stunning second half display at the Coventry Building Society Arena sealed the three points.
Gyökeres needed only three minutes to level the scores after the restart for the second half, and a Godden penalty only minutes later gave City the advantage.
From here, Mark Robins’ side capitalised with further goals from Maatsen and a second of the day for Gyökeres.
Sky Blues Xl: Simon Moore (GK), Dom Hyam, Kyle McFadzean, Jake Clarke-Salter, Fankaty Dabo, Liam Kelly (C), Ben Sheaf, Ian Maatsen, Callum O’Hare, Matty Godden, Viktor Gyökeres (Tyler Walker 88’).
Unused Subs: Ben Wilson (GK), Michael Rose, Jodi Jones, Jamie Allen, Todd Kane, Jordan Shipley.
Club Connection: Jack Grimmer
Grimmer spent his youth career at Aberdeen before becoming the club’s youngest ever first team player at the age of 16 when he made his debut in 2010 in a 3-1 defeat to Rangers at Ibrox.
He then made the move to then-Premier League side Fulham in 2012, where he had a loan spell at Port Vale followed by three loan periods at Shrewsbury.
Grimmer left Craven Cottage in the Summer of 2017 before joining the Sky Blues. It was here that Grimmer made 53 appearances in his first season with the City, scoring the winning goal to knock then-Premier League side Stoke out of the FA Cup.
The defender was named in the PFA League Two Team of the Year as a result of an impressive campaign with the Sky Blues, where he would top it off with a sweet strike in the play-off final to make it 3-0 to the Sky Blues against Exeter City, sealing promotion to League One.
Jack has since earned success at Wycombe Wanderers, when he won the League One play-off final in 2020.
Match Officials:
The EFL have confirmed that Darren Bond will be the man in the middle of the Sky Blues clash with Fulham this weekend.
Bond will be assisted by Ian Cooper and Sam Lewis whilst Andy Davies will act as the fourth official.