By florida 
Right, so today I tried predicting that Fulham starting lineup against Arsenal, total headache. Grabbed my old laptop, fired it up thinking it’d be straight simple. Famous last words, eh?
The Hopeful Start
Kicked things off scrolling through my usual suspects for team news. Figured Mitrovic being long gone meant no striker drama. Piece of cake, right? Totally wrong. First panic hit: nobody agrees on who’s fit! Saw one site say Pereira’s ready, another says he’s still crocked. Seriously, how hard is it just to know if a bloke can run or not?
Decided to dive into their last match lineup instead. Found it on some fan forum, looked legit enough. They rolled with a 4-2-3-1 against Everton. Fine, I’ll bite. So my rough sketch started there:
- Goalie: Obviously big Leno in goal. Nobody argues that.
- Defense: Castagne on the right, Robinson the flying Yank on the left. Center backs… Bassey and Ream? Adarabioyo? Flip a coin honestly.
- Midfield: Two holding guys. Palhinha is nailed on, thank god. Partner? Reed or Lukic? Went with Reed just ’cause.
The Mid-Meltdown
Got stuck on the attacking bit. Winger situation feels like a lottery. They’ve got like five guys for two spots. Decided:
- Ivano? Probably.
- Willian? Yeah, old but crafty.
- Pereira? If fit… maybe?
Striker? Jimenez starts… if he remembers how to score. Or maybe Vinicius gets a go? Just threw Jimenez on my list and prayed.
Started doubting the whole 4-2-3-1 thing. Did Silva switch to three at the back against big teams? I know he’s done that before. Scratched my head for ten minutes. Checked last year’s Arsenal lineup and saw a screenshot buried in my downloads folder. Fine. Stuck with the four-man defense. Figured Silva’s gotta attack at home, even against Arsenal.
The “Final” Guess (Probably Wrong)
Put it all together feeling half confident:
- Keeper: Leno
- Defenders: Castagne, Adarabioyo, Bassey (Ream feels slower against Arsenal pace), Robinson
- Midfield: Reed, Palhinha
- Attack: Ivano, Pereira (IF FIT, if not, Willian or Cairney), Willian, Jimenez
Highlighted Pereira with a big bloody question mark. Gut feeling tells me they play Willian, Pereira if fit, and Iwobi. But the fitness crap is guesswork. Bet someone like Bobby De Cordova-Reid pops up too.
Why Bother?
Honestly? I fancied myself a bit smart today. Ended up with more questions than answers. Half these predictions feel pulled out your arse cos official news comes late. Saw someone reckon Muniz starts! Madness. But what do I know? I ain’t Marco Silva’s mate, texting him the team sheet. Just a bloke with dodgy internet wasting time instead of fixing the kitchen tap leak. Why do I keep doing this? Probly cos it feels like solving a messed up puzzle before we get smashed by Arsenal. Brilliant use of a Tuesday.