Please, try again later
You nearly always get a bounce when you bring in a new manager, because players who have been in and out of the team feel they have got a chance to persuade him they should be starting.
Claudio Ranieri is a bit of a feel-good appointment for the fans as well, and I am expecting him to have an instant impact at Craven Cottage after replacing Slavisa Jokanovic.
Saints manager Mark Hughes is already under pressure and a defeat would obviously increase speculation about his own future.
His side were robbed in their last home game against Watford, in terms of a bad decision costing them, because there is no argument against the fact that Charlie Austin's goal should have stood.
But you could also argue that Watford were probably good value for a draw in that game anyway - and it is Saints' performances, as well as their results, that have left Hughes' job under scrutiny.
Southampton's next two games after this one are at home to Manchester United and away to Tottenham, so things are not going to get any easier for him anytime soon.
Source: BBC
Fulham have conceded a huge 31 goals so far and are 3 points adrift of safety. After spending such a large sum of money during the summer, relegation could come at an astronomical cost. Ranieri certainly has an important and difficult task ahead of him. New coach should cheer Fulham.
Fortunately, he’s starting his reign with a relatively favourable fixture against a struggling Southampton side. They are without a league win since the start of September as well, and they’ve scored a meagre 8 goals this season.
This has all the makings of a very cagey affair. Ranieri has already stated that his main focus is to firm up the catastrophically bad defence of Fulham, and Southampton have only scored twice in their last 5 games.
I'm waiting for a draw, but this is a high risk. 1X is a good choice