Town boss Gary O’Neil believes Fulham are in a false position as the West Londoners visit Portman Road as the Premier League resumes after its three-week break.

The Cottagers are 19th in the Premier League table having taken only two points from their first five matches prior to the international break.

After losing their opening three fixtures - 3-2 at home to Chelsea, 1-0 at Sunderland and 3-2 to Crystal Palace at Craven Cottage - they drew 0-0 at Liverpool, then 1-1 at home to Manchester United in their games immediately prior to the hiatus.

While winless in the league, they have progressed through two rounds of the Carabao Cup, beating AFC Wimbledon 3-0 at home, before winning 3-2 away at West Ham.

“I think they’re good,” O’Neil said. “I’ve watched a lot of them, obviously I’ve had a lot of time.

“I think they were really unlucky against Palace, should have won the game, no doubt.

“Easily deserved their point at Anfield, which is not easy to do. They weren’t hanging on or defending the goal. It was a real good game, they controlled the ball well. Against Manchester United at home as well, they could easily have won.

“They’ve probably not got as many points as their performances would suggest they should have.

“Them coming tomorrow, it’s a home game at Portman Road, we’re really excited about it and we can’t wait - we’ve got an opportunity to add another three points to our tally.

“But I think the position that they’re in at this moment would be a false one. I think they’re going to have a good season, they’re going to be a good side, they’ve signed some good players.

“But that doesn’t mean that we can’t cause them real problems tomorrow and I’m looking forward to the challenge, it’s a great one for us.”

Reflecting further on the Cottagers’ position, he added: “It’s just early, I suppose. The league table doesn’t mean anything yet. But I think they’re unlucky to be on the points tally that they’re on.

“I watched the Palace game twice. I watched it in preparation for Palace and now I’ve watched it again in preparation for this and they were excellent that day. I don’t know how they found a way to lose that game, but it can happen.

“I felt similarly about our one away at Everton. I thought we’d done enough to take something from the game, but you don’t always get what you deserve, you have to find a way to make sure that you get it.

“I’m sure Fulham will be looking to improve that and look at the bits that have maybe cost them in the last few weeks and they’ll be hoping to put it right.

“But we’re in a really good spot. We’re looking forward to tomorrow’s challenge. I’m keen to see how the players come back and how quickly we get back to what I do and what we do as a group. And no better place to do it than Portman Road tomorrow in front of the fans.

“We’ve not been there too much, especially afternoon kick-offs. I know we’ve had Liverpool and Arsenal, but the Sunderland one feels like a long time ago, so I’m keen to get that three o’clock Saturday, Portman Road [atmosphere] and see if we can add another memorable three points and move forward.”

Marco Silva’s five-year spell in charge of Fulham came to an end in the summer with Alvaro Arbeloa taking over after leaving Real Madrid.

Given Arbeloa has only been in the Whites’ hotseat for seven matches, has O’Neil taken a look at his Real team as part of his preparations for Saturday?

“It’ll be different, of course,” the Blues boss continued. “Maybe one day I’ll be fortunate enough to find out what it’s like to manage Real Madrid, but probably different to managing Fulham, I would think.

“He’s fairly clear in what they do. They have a fairly recognisable style in the games that he’s coached them.

“I think we have a fair idea as to what Fulham will be trying to do tomorrow and just need to make sure that we’re ready.”

Has he spoken to Issa Diop and Sasa Lukic about Fulham, the duo having joined the Blues from Craven Cottage in the summer?

“I always have a little conversation with lads that might have played or know some of their players and try and get any little bits that might help us,” O’Neil said.

“But it’s a complete change at Fulham from a very settled set-up and a manager that had been there a long time.

“Obviously, they’ve changed - a change in style, a lot of change in the playing squad as well.

“I think what you realise when you’re prepping these games is the teams that have managed to stay in the Premier League for a few years have built a really strong squad, like even depth-wise.

“You look at Fulham’s players and they’ve just got consistent Premier League performers dotted throughout the group, which is obviously a great one for us to look at and where we want to try and get to.

“Why this season is so important for us is that we keep pushing and we keep moving forward and we try and make sure that we add some years at the incredible level of the Premier League so that we can start to follow in the footsteps of teams like Brighton, who have come up recently, fairly recently, Fulham, Bournemouth, Brentford. They’re setting a real good example as to what can be done at Premier League level.

“But a good game for us tomorrow. I think we can cause Fulham problems. They’re a good side, they have a good style about them, they have good players, a good coach, but really confident in our group that we can cause them some problems tomorrow at Portman Road.”

Although he has everyone fit, O’Neil will be forced into one change from the 1-0 defeat at Everton before the break with Abdul Fatawu suspended following his red card against the Toffeemen.

The Town boss has a number of options to come into the team, but none a straight swap for the Ghanaian international.

“I think having his left foot on that side has been a big threat for us,” O’Neil added. “It’s provided numerous crosses, numerous goalscoring opportunities for us with Leif [Davis] arriving at the back post or a couple of headers for a few others. And he gives us that one-v-one threat.

“We don’t have a direct replacement for that, so it will be a change there for the team. But one that I’m excited about, one that I’m excited about seeing, making sure we get it right, making sure we give ourselves the best opportunity.

“We have got options there in different forms. No one that will do it the same as Abdul does it, but people that are more than capable of performing on the right side for us tomorrow in the Premier League and give us a chance of beating Fulham.”

The Team

O’Neil is unlikely to make too many changes other than the enforced switch with Christian Walton again set to start in goal behind a backline of Abdoul Ouattara, skipper Dara O’Shea, Diop and Davis.

The Blues boss could opt to give Florentino Luis his full league debut in midfield alongside former White Lukic with Exequiel Palacios having been in international action as recently as the early hours of Wednesday morning.

Jaden Philogene could be the man to replace Fatawu in the three ahead of the double pivot, with Jack Clarke perhaps moving to the right, but with Daizen Maeda, Kasey McAteer and Sindre Walle Egeli also options.

Julio Enciso will be the number 10 with Emersonn probably continuing as the number nine, despite Zian Flemming scoring the only goal in the 1-0 friendly victory away against Espanyol during the international break.

The Opposition

Like O’Neil, Arbeloa has a clean bill of health ahead of the match, although the game comes too soon for captain Tom Cairney, a January Town target, who is on his way back from a knee injury.

“We are very happy because everybody is back and fit,” Arbeloa said. “At the moment, everybody is fit and available.

“Tom Cairney, we are so happy to have him with us again but now is a little bit soon for him because he needs to keep training, but we are happy that he is training with the rest of the team.”

Reflecting on Town, Arbeloa added: “We will play against a very good team who have also had a tough start, like us.

“If we want to beat them, we will have to play at our best. Away games are always difficult, never easy, we know that.

“They have very good players, a very good coach and they will be very difficult for us. They are a very aggressive team, very good players.

“You see it at the front with Emersonn, Enciso, Fatawu. Palacios and Lukic are very good midfielders.

“They can defend, they can attack, a very well-balanced team. They can do everything on the pitch and they have clear ideas. They’ve had a good first month and we need to be ready.”

Recent History

Historically, the Blues have been victorious on nine occasions in games between the teams (six in the league), Fulham on 14 (11) and with 10 (eight) games ending in draws.

Town are without a win in nine against Fulham in all competitions - two in the Carabao Cup - two draws in the 2024/25 Premier League season preceded by six successive defeats and another draw.

Their most recent victory over the Whites was at Craven Cottage in December 2015 when goals from Freddie Sears - after 16 seconds - and Brett Pitman saw Town to a 2-1 win, at the time their fourth victory on the bounce against Fulham and the penultimate match in a 13-game run without a defeat against the Cottagers stretching back to the famous 10-1 loss on Boxing Day 1963.

The teams last met at Craven Cottage in January 2025 when Raul Jimenez struck an injury-time penalty - his second and the game’s third spot-kick - to grab a 2-2 draw for Fulham and deny the Blues a second win against West London opposition in seven days following the 2-0 home success against Chelsea.

Sammie Szmodics gave Town the lead in the 38th minute but the Whites levelled via Jimenez’s first penalty on 69 before the Blues restored their lead via Liam Delap, also from the spot, within two minutes.

Jack Clarke hit the post, then moments later the Cottagers were awarded their second penalty, which Jimenez dispatched to claim a share of the points.

In the preceding August at Portman Road, Town claimed their first Premier League point in 22 years as they drew 1-1 with the Cottagers.

Delap’s first Town goal gave the Blues the lead on 15 but Fulham levelled through Adama Traore in the 32nd minute with Town the better side in the second half but without finding a winning goal.

Familiar Faces

Blues defender Diop left Craven Cottage to join the Blues for £8.5 million in the summer having made 77 starts and 19 sub appearances, scoring three goals, in four years with the Whites.

Midfielder Lukic made the same move in the close season for £9 million after 74 starts and 32 sub appearances, scoring three times, in three years in West London.

Blues first-team coach Sone Aluko was with Fulham between 2016 and 2017, making 53 starts and one sub appearance, scoring nine times.

Former Town midfielder Brian Talbot is the assistant director of football operations at Craven Cottage, where he briefly played late on in his career.

Officials

Saturday’s referee is Lewis Smith, his assistants Scott Ledger and Akil Howson, and the fourth official John Busby. The VAR official is James Bell and his assistant Alex Chilowicz.

Lancashire-based Smith has shown 35 yellow cards and one red in 10 games so far this season.

Smith will be taking charge of only his 11th Premier League game and his first this season. Town have featured in three of his previous top-flight matches, while he has refereed both Fulham’s last two visits to Portman Road.

His most recent Town fixture was the 3-1 Carabao Cup victory over Leicester City in which he yellow-carded Clarke, Cedric Kipre, Cameron Humphreys and two of the visitors.

Prior to that, he was in the middle for the 1-0 home victory over Hull City in March in which he cautioned Walton, Kipre and four Tigers.

Coincidentally, he had also taken charge of the Blues’ 2-0 win at Hull in November last year in which he yellow-carded Jacob Greaves, Jens Cajuste and two home players.

In May 2025, he was in the middle for the 2-2 Premier League draw at Everton in which he booked Conor Chaplin, George Hirst, Liam Delap, Sam Morsy and four Toffeemen.

Earlier in that season, he was in charge of the 4-3 defeat at Brentford in October 2024 in which he booked Davis and showed Harry Clarke two yellow cards and then a red with both having an element of controversy.

The first led to a penalty given by VAR with the challenge appearing to have started outside the area and the second when the defender, who was making his first Premier League start, had clearly won the ball.

Smith also took charge of the Blues in the 1-1 home draw with Fulham in August 2024 in which he cautioned Morsy, Ali Al-Hamadi and three Cottagers.

He also refereed the meeting between the Blues and Whites in the Carabao Cup tie during the previous campaign in which he booked Jack Taylor, Marcus Harness and three of the visitors.

Smith’s only Town match prior to that was the second-round Carabao Cup tie at Reading a couple of months earlier, which the Blues won 3-1 on penalties after a 2-2 draw.

Humphreys, George Edmundson, Lee Evans and two home players were cautioned during that fixture.

Squad From

Walton, Scherpen, O’Shea (c), Furlong, Diop, Greaves, Kipre, Davis, Ouattara, Lukic, Florentino, Palacios, Nunez, Matusiwa, Taylor, McAteer, Enciso, Walle Egeli, Clarke, Mehmeti, Maeda, Philogene, Emersonn, Flemming, Akpom.

Photo: TWTD