Fulham has never beaten Aston Villa at Villa Park and the hosts will try to make sure that the tradition will continue. Aston Villa is in a serious danger of relegation and three points from this match are a must for the team, in view of the heavy fixtures until the end of the season. The greatest threat to the hosts of course is Dimitar Berbatov, who is in excellent shape and with his scores he has already sent a team to the Championship - Queens Park Rangers.
Fulham's team has a difficulty when scoring goals at Villa Park in recent years but with the presence of top class striker like Dimitar Berbatov it is expected "Cottagers" to get at least one hit. Moreover, Aston Villa has not kept a clean sheet by this December 2012. Fulham has never lost a match when Dimitar Berbatov has scored and again the performance of the striker will be crucial for the team. The hosts striker Benteke also in pretty good shape and made eight goals in his last 10 games.
For the guests Steve Sidwell will miss the match due to suspension, which is a serious problem for Martin Jol. Probably Frimpong will replace Sidwell in midfield. Paul Lambert on the other hand may count on the same eleven that managed to achieve valuable victory at the visit of Stoke. Ashkan Dejagah treats ankle injury and probably Stanislav Manolev will play again on the right side for Fulham.