My Five Keys To Victory For Fulham Against Blackburn - Match Preview

This Saturday, Fulham will be on the road at Ewood Park to play Blackburn. The game takes place at 3PM UK Time and 10 AM EST. The game will be on television taped delayed on Saturday at 5 PM 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.  

Could this be the week Fulham finally get a road victory in the league? Ewood Park is a difficult place to win for the visiting team. Fulham will need to play at a very high level to get all 3 points.

Last season the two clubs split the games. Fulham beat Blackburn 3-0 at Craven Cottage. Blackburn beat Fulham 2 -0 at Ewood Park,

Sam Allardyce is the manager of Blackburn, and has done a nice job with his club. They have two young players that can create scoring opportunities. Niko Kalinić is a 22 year old Serbian striker to watch tomorrow. He has already scored two goals in the league. Mame Diouf is a 22 year old Senagalese left winger that Fulham should also monitor. He is on loan from Manchester United. He has already scored 4 goals for Blackburn including one in the league. 

As I do before every match I do my 5 "keys" that I hope will lead to 3 points for Fulham. Below are " My 5 Keys To Victory For Fulham Against Blackburn".   

1. Fulham need to defend very well on set pieces. On the road, I have mentioned prior that Fulham the last couple of seasons have been burnt by not defending well on set pieces. I think this is a critical key tomorrow. For Fulham to get all three points they need to defend corner kicks and free kicks at a very high level. Brede Hangeland needs to be a physical force on these plays.

2. Fulham's defenders need to contain Niko Kalinić and Mame Diouf. These are two young players that can create scoring opportunities. Brede Hangeland and Aaron Hughes both could be very important players in limiting the scoring chances for Blackburn.

3. Dickson Etuhu needs to push forward from the midfield and be an additional scoring threat. It seems under Mark Hughes that Etuhu is given more freedom to move up and be more offensive. Without Zamora, his presence pushing forward could create scoring opportunities for himself and his teammates.

4. Moussa Dembele should be the feature player up front to create scoring opportunities. Dembele I believe is on the verge of being a huge player in the EPL. He will be counted on tomorrow to create many of the scoring opportunities for Fulham. Whether it is passing or scoring himself he needs to really be involved in the game. 

5. Clint Dempsey should take as many shots as possible tomorrow.  So far this season I don't think Clint has played a large role in the games.Tomorrow is a perfect opportunity for him to assert himself. I think he should shoot whenever he has the opportunity. The more shots on net can only help Fulham get to the Blackburn goalkeeper. Dempsey has the ability to create chances from nothing. I am hoping he creates several opportunities tomorrow.

This should be a tough game for Fulham. However, I do feel confident that they have the ability to get the three points. My prediction for the match is a 1-0 Fulham victory.