Fulham v Newcastle United preview ahead of Premier League clash

Welcome to the Fulham v Newcastle United preview.

Saturday 7th November and a 3pm kick-off.

Newcastle United travel to London this weekend looking to draw a line under a disastrous double defeat in League and Cup to Everton, that has the potential to derail our season before it’s really got started.

The Toon will be hoping to get their season back on track before a tedious international break is followed by a make or break run of fixtures that may very well define the campaign.

Despite this being our thirteenth match of 2026-27, this will be only our second game of the season not selected for live TV. Meaning we can enjoy the comparative luxury of a Saturday 3pm kick-off and travelling Toon fans should have plenty of time to enjoy before and after the match…fingers crossed they’ll enjoy the actual match itself as well!

Form

Newcastle have won two and lost four of their past six league matches as a decent start to the season has disintegrated to an alarming degree. Wins have come against Hull City and Crystal Palace but terrible defeats against four ordinary teams in the shape of Leeds, Coventry, Villa and Everton have seen the Toon drop a very achievable twelve points. We’ve scored six goals in these six matches but conceded a whopping eleven and only kept one clean sheet. The six points gained has us languishing in thirteenth position but a reflection of a bang average league means we could squeeze into the top seven this weekend should all results go our way.

Fulham have won two, drawn three and lost one of their past six league games. Victories have come against Coventry and Hull whilst they’ve drawn with Liverpool, Man United and Aston Villa. Their loss came away at Ipswich. They’ve scored five goals in these games and conceded four. They currently sit fifteenth in the league despite a dreadful start to the season that saw them take just two points from their first six matches. A win at the weekend would see them leapfrog the Toon and could see them as high as eighth depending on results elsewhere.

Last time out

Newcastle hosted Everton on Monday night and were left deeply disappointed by a second defeat to the Toffees in just five days. The first half was a complete non-event with United looking and playing like an away team, barely getting out of their own half let alone troubling old nemesis Jordan Pickford. We were lucky to go into the half-time break goalless but the Blues broke the deadlock early on in the second period to leave the Toon desperate for a goal. As the Black and Whites finally woke up, it looked like an equaliser was secured when Elanga prodded the ball past Pickford at the back post. Unfortunately it rebounded off the upright, spun on the line and was hacked away to safety. Newcastle continued to push for a leveller but only really created a couple of decent chances, Wissa having a shot saved and Ramsey smashing an effort just wide. Unfortunately Ramsey also found the time to pick up two equally ludicrous yellow cards late on to ensure he received a red card and now has to serve a suspension to cap what was a miserable night for NUFC.

Fulham travelled to Aston Villa last weekend and were grateful for an absolute goalkeeping howler as they achieved a 1-1 draw. Behind at the break, Fulham were gifted an equaliser in the second half when the Villa ‘keeper dropped the ball over the line to ensure both sides would be able to enjoy a share of the points.

Stat attack!

Newcastle have played three matches in London this season and won all of them without conceding a goal.

The Toon have lost their last two visits to Fulham.

NUFC have scored fourteen goals in their last seven games at Craven Cottage.

Photo by Greg McPeake via The Mag

Memorable match

In 2003-04 Sir Bobby Robson was once again attempting to mastermind a return to the Champions League for his United side that had endured a difficult start to the season. An October trip to Fulham gave the Toon the opportunity to win their third match in a row but things got off to a disastrous opening when old boys Lee Clark and Louis Saha both found the net early on to give Fulham a two goal lead after just eight minutes. Thankfully this double setback spurred United into life and they gained a toe-hold in the match when Laurent Robert scored soon after with a half-volley. NUFC saved the real drama and excitement for the start of the second half when Alan Shearer twice found the net in front of incredulous away supporters. Our number nine kept his nerve to bury a spot-kick that brought the scores level after Ameobi was fouled in the area but even better to come. A few minutes after the equaliser, great link-up play with Jermain Jenas allowed Shearer the chance to put the Toon ahead and he made no mistake, rifling the ball into the roof of the net to send the travelling Toon Army delirious. Whilst this was undoubtedly one of the highlights of the season, it was also our last league victory away from home that campaign. Just two wins on our travels throughout the whole campaign meant that United would just miss out on a place in the Champions League. Fulham 2-3 Newcastle.

Played for both

Philippe Albert is an absolute legend for those of us lucky enough to grow up in the mid-nineties. Signed by Kevin Keegan after a number of impressive performances at the 1994 World Cup, Albert soon proved that there was so much more than just defending to his game. Never afraid to bomb forward, he was often found at the other end of the pitch to good effect scoring a number of important goals. Although he’s best remembered for his sublime chip to end the scoring in a famous 5-0 victory over Man United, a personal favourite memory of mine is when he galloped forward to volley home an equally special effort in a 3-3 draw against Man City the previous season. Keegan was so impressed by Albert at Newcastle that he signed him again for Fulham in 1998 and was rewarded with two goals as the cottagers gained promotion from the second tier.

Louis Saha played on loan at Newcastle under Ruud Gullit in 1999 but managed only a handful of games. His only league strike came in a 4-1 home win against Coventry. He also netted a cracker away at Blackburn in the fifth round of the FA Cup. His winning goal set up a quarter-final tie with Everton as the Toon marched on to the Wembley final. He signed for Fulham in 2000 and scored over fifty league goals for the club, he was top scorer in the promotion campaign of 00/01 and was named in the PFA team of the year. He spent four years at Craven Cottage before moving on to Man United.

Danny Guthrie signed for the Toon in 2008 and spent four years on Tyneside, enduring the low of relegation in 2009 to the high of a top five Premier League finish in 2012. He was an integral part of our promotion in 2009-10, netting five goals and providing thirteen assists as we won the Championship. He played for Fulham on loan in 2015 but failed to find the net in six league appearances.

Managers

Matthias Jaissle after a 1-0 defeat at home to Everton: “They trained at a high level in the build-up, but when the ref started the game you couldn’t see that. It wasn’t the plan to shoot the long balls, it’s important to say that. It was not good enough and it was not brave enough to penetrate the last line. The goal came from an unforced error that led to a free-kick, but to be honest we were just sleeping. It’s so easy for them to take the quick free-kick and we were surprised. On a good day of course, Hornicek saves it. We have to stick together now, we have to show unity. It’s the only way. When the goals aren’t coming easily you lack confidence, it’s normal as a human being. We saw during the week that the quality is there but we need to take it to the pitch. It’s clear I have the responsibility to make it work as the manager of this club.”

Alvaro Arbeloa after a 1-1 draw away to Aston Villa: “I’m pleased with the team’s performance, especially in the second half. We were more aggressive, we controlled the tempo of the game, we had so many chances to score some goals, but in the end we couldn’t take the chances. I am happy because we knew before the match how difficult it would be to win here. Man City lost here one week ago and they are a Champions League team with a fantastic coach so, for me I’m really proud of my players because they showed ambition and character, and we played our way, which is the most important thing.”

Charity

As it is an away match, Newcastle United fans will not be collecting opposite the Gallowgate end, for the food bank. However, you can still help out and all online cash donations are very much appreciated. For further info and/or to donate to the food bank online.

Prediction

This is a tough one to call. Newcastle have been desperately poor recently whilst Fulham have achieved some decent results after a poor start to their season. I’m old enough to remember the days when we couldn’t buy a win in London until a glorious night at Highbury in 2001 so have been delighted to see us achieve three wins in the capital already this season. Unfortunately, I don’t think this weekend will see a fourth. A poor game will see both teams having to be content with a point apiece. Fulham 0-0 Newcastle.