Fulham were dreadful at West Ham last time out before the international break and should be opposed at home to West Bromwich Albion on Saturday.
The Cottagers started the new season in terrific style, thrashing Norwich 5-0, but they have lost each of their three subsequent fixtures and should be bigger than evens to get the better of the in-form visitors.
There was nothing not to like about Fulham’s opening-day romp but they have lost their two best players from last term in Clint Dempsey and Moussa Dembele, both of whom have signed for Tottenham, and it could take a while for Martin Jol’s new recruits to gel.
The 3-0 defeat at Upton Park made Fulham look very ordinary defensively, Andy Carroll proving a real handful, and they have conceded six times in their previous two top flight fixtures.
There was not much wrong with a 3-2 reversal at Old Trafford but a full strength Fulham team were also beaten 1-0 in the League Cup at Sheffield Wednesday and it is a tall order to bounce back with three points against the Baggies.
New West Brom boss Steve Clarke will have been disappointed at the timing of the World Cup qualifiers, having seen his team take seven points from their opening three matches, but there is no reason his players cannot continue where they left off and he’ll be expecting them to add to their tally in West London.
An opening 3-0 win over Liverpool was backed-up by a well deserved point at White Hart Lane and there was also no fluke either about their 2-0 win over an Everton team that had started the campaign on fire.
All known recent form lines point to an away success on Saturday but the best bet is surely a lay of the hosts and quite how Fulham are as short as they are is beyond me.
If other results go their way on Saturday afternoon then Clarke and his team could well be looking down on the rest of the Premier League from the summit and that would be thoroughly deserved for what has been a wonderful start to the new term.
3pts Lay Fulham (vs. West Brom) @ 2.1 (Betfair)