Fulham boss Marco Silva will not underestimate Ipswich Town when his side travel to Portman Road to face the Premier League new boys on Saturday.
Fulham have three points from their first two games of 2024-25, slipping to a narrow matchday one defeat at Manchester United before bouncing back with a 2-1 win over Leicester City.
Their next outing comes against another newly promoted side in Kieran McKenna's Ipswich, who have started life in the top flight with losses to Liverpool (2-0) and Manchester City (4-1).
Silva, though, expects them to put up a real fight on home soil, hailing McKenna for instilling a winning mentality at the club.
"I expect a really tough game," Silva said. "They have an unbelievable winning mentality from the last two seasons.
"When you are promoted the way they were from League One to the Championship, and then from the Championship to the Premier League, I have to say that is unbelievable.
"They've played two really tough games against Liverpool and City but the first game of the season was a really tough one for Liverpool; the way they played, the atmosphere. It was a solid start for them except for the result.
"The environment will be the same – really big support for the home side and it'll be a tough game."
Ipswich were unable to foster any positivity in midweek as they were dumped out of the EFL Cup on penalties by fourth-tier AFC Wimbledon, as McKenna made 10 changes to his starting lineup.
He defended that approach while looking ahead to Saturday's game, saying: "I think it was the right thing to do. Going out of the cup isn't good, we're disappointed for the supporters, we wanted to progress, but it's really, really clear what our priorities are this season.
"I think the new players are further now in their understanding of how to play with each other.
"I think we learned a fair bit about the strengths of them and the minutes in the legs will be very important. Hopefully that will help us in the next few weeks."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Ipswich Town – Sam Szmodics
Szmodics netted on his first Premier League start on matchday two, scoring the opener in Ipswich's 4-1 defeat to City.
The last Ipswich player to score on his first two Premier League starts was Adam Tanner in January 1995.
Fulham – Andreas Pereira
Fulham midfielder Pereira has created 13 chances in the Premier League this season, six more than any other player.
It is the most by any player in a team's opening two games in a Premier League season since 2012-13, when Leighton Baines also created 13 for Everton.
MATCH PREDICTION – FULHAM WIN
The only previous Premier League meetings between Ipswich and Fulham came in the 2001-02 season, with the Tractor Boys remaining unbeaten against the Cottagers that campaign (1-1 away, 1-0 at home).
Fulham, however, have won their last four league meetings with Ipswich, with this the first clash between the teams since a 4-1 home win in January 2018. The Cottagers had been winless in nine league games against them before this run (three draws, six losses).
Only in 1949-50, 1956-57 (both in the third division south) and 2006-07 (Championship) have Ipswich lost their first three matches to start a league season, but that fate could await them here.
Fulham have won four of their last eight away Premier League games (two draws, two defeats), having gone 11 without a victory before this run began (four draws, seven losses).
Neutrals should expect entertainment: Since Fulham drew 0-0 with Newcastle United in 2010, none of their 40 Premier League games against newly promoted teams have been goalless, with 141 goals scored in those contests, an average of 3.5 per match.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Ipswich Town – 32.9%
Fulham – 41.1%
Draw – 26%
Ramsdale leaves Arsenal for Southampton in permanent deal
Aaron Ramsdale has left Arsenal for Southampton in a permanent deal reportedly worth up to £25million.
Ramsdale joined Arsenal from Sheffield United in 2022 and assumed a key role in Mikel Arteta's side, playing all 38 games as they finished as Premier League runners-up in 2022-23.
However, he lost his place to David Raya at the start of last season and has long appeared destined to move on, with Wolves among the clubs linked with him in the current transfer window.
It appeared Arsenal may be willing to sanction a loan move for the England international, but Southampton have tied him down to a four-year contract, paying a transfer fee that could rise to £25m.
Southampton manager Russell Martin told the club's website of the transfer: "I'm delighted. Bringing in a player like Aaron is a real statement signing for us, so I'm very grateful to ownership and the board for making it happen, especially as so many other clubs were keen.
"Aaron is obviously a very talented goalkeeper, but also an impressive all-round football player, which is clearly important for us with the way we play.
"His reputation speaks for itself, he brings great experience even at what is still a relatively young age at his position and he's a fantastic character too, who I think will be a wonderful addition for us both on the pitch and in the dressing room."
Ramsdale is not the only England goalkeeper to seal a deadline-day transfer, with Wolves completing a £10m deal to acquire Sam Johnstone from Crystal Palace.
Johnstone has penned a four-year contract at Molineux, where he will compete with Jose Sa for a starting spot.
Dyche 'super-proud' of Everton players and staff as transfer window closes
Sean Dyche is "super-proud" of his Everton side, as well as the staff aiming to bolster his squad before the transfer window shuts.
Everton have lost their opening two Premier League games by an aggregate score of 7-0, and sit bottom of the early standings.
Dyche's team beat Doncaster Rovers 3-0 in the EFL Cup on Tuesday, and now prepare for an early-season crunch clash against Bournemouth at Goodison Park.
Everton, whose financial issues have been well documented, are still aiming to add to their squad before Friday's deadline, with midfielder Orel Mangala nearing a loan move from Lyon, while a winger is a target.
Uncertainty remains over Dominic Calvert-Lewin's future, too, but Dyche said he is content with the work everyone involved has done this window.
"We've been as active as we could be with the signings and trying to bring in players who can operate immediately and also grow into the club in the Premier League," he said.
"That's a big challenge. We want them to do that, and obviously the players that have been here before.
"I'm super-proud of everyone here and what they've given to the cause, that's for sure, and that remains.
"They've given a lot over the last couple of seasons, the players who have been here. The added players coming in, we want them to get that feeling and attachment to the club and the same work ethic to go and deliver."
Speaking specifically if Everton had received any offers for Calvert-Lewin, Dyche added: "No, we're just carrying on as we always have done with Dom and all the other players, trying to stay open with our dialogue, that's it."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Everton - Iliman Ndiaye
Ndiaye netted on his first start of the season for Everton against Doncaster in midweek, and with Dyche's team having struggled to create much in the way of scoring opportunities in their opening league matches, the Senegal international should get a chance to impress against the Cherries.
Bournemouth - Antoine Semenyo
Semenyo has been involved in more shots following a ball carry than any other player so far in the Premier League this season (eight – five shots, three chances created).
MATCH PREDICTION: DRAW
Bournemouth head to Goodison Park having drawn both of their league fixtures, and Opta's model suggests that is the most likely outcome this time around. The last side to draw their opening three were Wolves in 2019-20, while the last to draw the first three 1-1 were West Brom in 2004-05.
Andoni Iraola has only won two of his 14 league matches in August across his spells with Mirandes, Rayo Vallecano and the Cherries (D5 L7), while Bournemouth are winless in nine overall in August (D4 L5) since beating Aston Villa on MD1 of the 2022-23 season.
Up to the night of August 30, Everton will have spent 14 days bottom of the Premier League in 2024-25, their most in a season since 2009-10 (also 14). If they are still in 20th after this game, they will be just the third side to be bottom of the table at the end of August in consecutive seasons, along with Wimbledon (1996-97/1997-98) and West Ham (2017-18/2018-19).
The omens are not great. Everton have lost all five of their Premier League games in August under Dyche without scoring a single goal. Indeed, Dyche has a win ratio of just 12.5% in August, the worst percentage of any manager to manage more than 10 games in August.
Everton are just the fourth Premier League side to lose their opening two matches in a season without scoring and shipping 7+ goals, along with Leicester in 2001-02 (nine conceded), Wigan Athletic in 2010-11 (10 conceded) and Norwich City in 2021-22 (eight conceded).
However, Everton have won six of their seven Premier League home games against Bournemouth, with the exception a 3-1 defeat on the final day of the 2019-20 campaign.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Everton - 35.9%
Bournemouth - 37.4%
Draw - 26.7%
Lukaku omitted from Belgium squad for Nations League fixtures
Romelu Lukaku has been omitted from Belgium's squad for their Nations League fixtures against Israel and France next month.
Lukaku is the Red Devils' all-time leading goalscorer with 85 goals in 119 senior appearances, with 10 of those coming at major tournaments (Euros/World Cup).
However, he failed to score at either the 2022 World Cup or Euro 2024, with Domenico Tedesco's team slipping to a last-16 exit versus France at the latter competition.
Lukaku was unable to get on the scoresheet despite attempting 11 shots worth 1.7 expected goals (xG) – the highest value of any player who failed to net at the tournament.
Lukaku was reunited with his former Inter boss Antonio Conte as he joined Napoli on a permanent deal earlier this week, but he will not be involved when Belgium open their 2024-25 Group A2 campaign on September 6.
In his absence, RB Leipzig's Lois Openda, Atalanta's Charles De Ketelaere and Borussia Dortmund youngster Julien Duranville – who has received his first senior call-up – are the candidates to lead the line.
Thibaut Courtois, meanwhile, is still absent as his long-running dispute with Tedesco continues.
Earlier this month, the Real Madrid goalkeeper announced on social media that he will not represent Belgium while Tedesco remains at the helm, having walked out of a training camp in 2023 following a dispute over the team's captaincy.
Full Belgium squad: Koen Casteels (Al Qadsiah), Thomas Kaminski (Luton Town), Matz Sels (Nottingham Forest), Zeno Debast (Sporting CP), Arthur Theate (Eintracht Frankfurt), Wout Faes (Leicester City), Thomas Meunier (Lille), Timothy Castagne (Fulham), Maxim De Cuyper (Club Brugge), Koni De Winter (Genoa), Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City), Youri Tielemans (Aston Villa), Charles De Ketelaere (Atalanta) Orel Mangala (Lyon), Arthur Vermeeren (RB Leipzig), Amadou Onana (Aston Villa), Alexis Saelemaekers (Milan), Arne Engels (Augsburg), Dodi Lukebakio (Sevilla), Johan Bakayoko (PSV), Lois Openda (RB Leipzig), Jeremy Doku (Manchester City), Julien Duranville (Borussia Dortmund).
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