My Five Keys To Victory For Fulham Against Newcastle

Fulham play on the road this Saturday at Newcastle United. The game takes place at 3PM UK Time and 10 AM EST at St James' Park. The game can be seen on Fox Soccer Channel taped delayed at 5PM EST. in the United States.  

This should be another tough road game for the Cottagers. Newcastle are currently 5th in the table, while Fulham are 15th.

Fulham are coming off a 1-0 loss to Chelsea Wednesday Night. Newcastle also lost their last match which was to Blackburn 2-1 at home.

Newcastle have started very strong this season. Their manager is Chris Hughton who has done a great job getting his side off to an impressive start. A player to watch for Newcastle United has to be Andy Carroll. He has already scored 7 goals, and is a physical presence up front. Fulham will need to contain him if they want to win on the road.

 As I do before every game here are " my five keys to victory for Fulham against Newcastle." 

1. Fulham need to an exceptional job on  defending set pieces. This key is usually in my five every week because it tends to be a factor in the match. Fulham have been very suspect on defending in these situations especially on the road. If they expect to win, they cannot afford to give up a goal on a set piece.   

2. Danny Murphy need to control the midfield for Fulham. With Joe Barton out of the game for Newcastle, Murphy could have a huge role in this match-up. If Murphy can get the ball up to the strikers with his passing, Fulham could be in good shape against Newcastle.

3. Fulham need to contain Andy Carroll. This player has a bright future in the game. He is a physical threat up front that Fulham are going to have to control. It will be in the hands of Aaron Hughes and Brede Hangeland to contain Andy Carroll.

4. Mark Schwarzer needs to continue to be sharp. Schwarzer has definitely been tremendous lately in net. He has kept Fulham in games. They will need his usual form if they want to win on Saturday.

5. Moussa Dembele needs to be very active.  Dembele could still be fighting off the injuries he suffered earlier in the season. I have a feeling though he is close to breaking out. For Fulham to win they are going to need him to play a very active role up front.  

A win on the road would be very important to Fulham. They need to show they can win away from Craven Cottage, if they want to head back up the table. This match-up I think is a good opportunity for Fulham to come away with three points.

I am predicting a 2-0 victory for Fulham against Newcastle.