FULHAM and AFC Bournemouth have been defying expectations since winning promotion back to the Premier League and head into this clash at Craven Cottage sitting eighth and ninth in the table.
Both teams were tipped to struggle, with most pundits backing the Cherries to finish rock bottom after manager Scott Parker spoke of his frustration at the club's failure to invest heavily in the squad.
Parker's defeatist attitude didn't bode well and it was no surprise when Bournemouth binned him after a 9-0 loss at Anfield made it three defeats in their first four league games.
But caretaker gaffer Gary O'Neil has done a tremendous job lifting the players and has yet to lose a game since taking charge, racking up two victories and three draws.
The latest win came at home to Leicester, with one tip landing for our man Gabriel as Bournemouth recovered from conceding an early goal to pile more pressure on the struggling Foxes.
Runaway Championship winners Fulham made a better start to the new campaign, with a thrilling 2-2 draw at home to Liverpool setting the tone on the opening day.
Marco Silva's men lost just one of their first five league games but have hit a bump in recent weeks, losing three of their last four. Poor defending is the main reason for their slump, with 11 goals conceded across those four matches.
Fulham badly need to get back on the front foot and will be desperate to inflict the first defeat of O'Neil's time as Bournemouth boss.
How the bookies view it
I'm surprised to see Fulham as odds-on favourites for this one given Bournemouth are on a five-match unbeaten run. The best price for Silva's side is just 10/11 with Betfred while the Cherries are as big as 17/5 with SpreadEx. Don't rule out the draw and that's priced 29/20 with the same firm.
Recent head to head
Bournemouth have held the edge over Fulham in recent years, losing just two of the last 12 meetings. Six of those matches ended in Bournemouth wins but the last two meetings have been draws, with both matches last term finishing 1-1.
Players to watch
Fulham are sweating on the fitness of top scorer Aleksander Mitrovic as he struggles with a foot injury and it will be a huge blow if he doesn't make it. Bobby Decordova-Reid looks their best bet for a goal if the Serb doesn't make it, with the forward netting two times already in the league. He's 3/1 with Unibet for anytime scorer which looks a little overpriced.
Ryan Christie scored his first Bournemouth goal last time out against Leicester and I'd expect more to follow. The Scotland forward is 6/1 with SportingIndex for another goal but looks better value for an assist at 8/1 with Unibet.
Anything else catch the eye?
Both meetings last term were scoreless at half-time before each side scored after the break. So I'm going for the half-time draw again at 5/4 with Unibet while McBookie offer 11/10 on most goals coming after the break.
The ref was busy when these teams faced off last season, with an incredible 19 yellows flashed across the two games. Some bad blood could linger in this one so over 3.5 cards appeals at 10/13 with Unibet. Bet365 also offer 5/4 on both teams receiving two or more cards.
This English Premier League match between Fulham and AFC Bournemouth will be played on Oct 15, 2022 and kick off at 15:00. Check below for our tipsters best Fulham vs AFC Bournemouth prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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