The footballing calendar has been ripped up after the death of The Queen, and it looks as though we won’t be seeing any Premier League action until October, with next weekend’s games likely to be cancelled due to the former monarch’s funeral.
The first Premier League game of this weekend was due to be Fulham vs Chelsea at Craven Cottage, but now that game will likely be played in January, while the Whites’ trip to Nottingham Forest on Friday could also be rescheduled due to the national mourning period.
Fulham are in good form, and while this mid-season break may be something of a momentum killer, there’s reason to believe that the Cottagers could actually benefit from this scheduling change.
Indeed, with no games set to be played until early October, there’s a good chance that Fulham’s star winger, Harry Wilson, will be back in action by the time Marco Silva’s side are back out on the pitch, while Manor Solomon should also be closer to a return by that point.
Meanwhile, Joao Palhinha could also benefit from this break.
The Portuguese midfielder has been one of Fulham’s most important players this season, but he’s just one yellow card away from a one-game suspension, and with a West London Derby on the agenda for this weekend, that booking would almost certainly have been picked up against Chelsea.
That would’ve forced Palhinha into missing what could have been a real six-pointer against Nottingham Forest, but now, he should be available to play that fixture by the time it comes around.
Yes, Palhinha may well pick up a booking against Newcastle next time out and miss the game against West Ham, but a booking in a non-Derby game is much less likely, and a result against Forest is a lot more important than a result against West Ham for Fulham as they look to avoid a fourth-consecutive Premier League relegation campaign.
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