My 5 Keys To Victory For Fulham Against Blackpool - Match Preview

This Saturday Fulham will be back on the road to play Blackpool at Bloomfield Road. The game takes place at 3PM UK Time and 10 AM EST. The game will be on television taped delayed on Sunday August 29th at 9AM EST in the United States. However, there is another option online. You can watch the game on Foxsoccer.tv live. This is a subscription based service that I would recommend.  

Fulham's away record has been pretty awful the past few seasons. For Fulham to really push forward this season, this game is a tremendous opportunity to show they can win away from Craven Cottage.

Blackpool have been promoted up from the Championship last season. They had a shocking 4- 0 victory on the road against Wigan to open the season. They were brought back to earth last week with a home loss to Arsenal.

The manager for Blackpool is Ian Holloway. The person to really watch tomorrow for Blackpool is midfielder Charlie Adam. He scored 19 goals last season. Fulham should not take this team lightly. To get promoted through the playoffs is an achievement. I am sure Fulham can expect a tough game at Blackpool.

As I always do I list what I believe are five keys that could lead to a win on the road. Below are my "Five Keys To Victory For Fulham Against Blackpool."     

1. Fuham need an early goal so they can play from ahead. The biggest issue I have seen from Fulham on the road is playing from behind. They were constantly fighting this uphill battle just to get level. They would often end up with a draw rather than a victory. If Fulham score early they can dictate this match on the road.

2. Fulham need to defend well on set pieces. Fulham, often on the road last season gave up goals from set pieces. Defending on these plays needs to be at a high level on the road.

 3. Fulham need to shut down Charlie Adam.  He scored 19 goals last season. If you can control him in the midfield you have a good chance of limiting Blackpool's scoring chances.

4. The goalkeeper needs to be at the top of his game. If Mark Schwarzer is back this week he needs to be playing at a high level. Schwarzer kept Fulham in many matches last season on the road. They will need that type of effort at Blackpool. He cannot give up any cheap goals. If David Stockdale is in net, he will need to play like he did against Bolton and Manchester United.

5. The strikers up front need to capitalize on any opportunity they get to shoot. Bobby Zamora is a force as a striker. I am not worried about him taking his shots. They need someone else to take the burden off of Zamora as the only goal scoring threat. Some of the options up front could be Zoltan Gera, Clint Dempsey, or Moussa Dembele. One of these players needs to be a real partner for Zamora and create opportunities to score. It can't all be about one player scoring.

I think Fulham have a great shot to beat Blackpool on the road. This is a game Fulham should win. The question is will the Cottagers leave Bloomfield Road with a victory?