05 August 2021

Paulo Gazzaniga set for Fulham debut in season-opener against Middlesbrough

05 August 2021

Fulham are set to have a mixture of old faces and new as they begin their bid to return to the Premier League for the third time in five seasons at home to Middlesbrough.

Former Watford and Everton boss Marco Silva is at the helm after replacing Scott Parker and will hope to get their Sky Bet Championship campaign off to a positive start at Craven Cottage.

Paulo Gazzaniga is set to make his debut in goal, while fellow new recruit Harry Wilson is likely to start on the bench after playing only 11 minutes of pre-season since joining the club from Liverpool.

Silva fielded a strong line-up in their final pre-season match last week, which could be an indicator to their starting XI against Boro, with Aleksandar Mitrovic, Neeskens Kebano and Anthony Knockaert all starting, while Tyrese Francois is set for his league debut.

Uche Ikpeazu and Matt Crooks are set to make their Middlesbrough debut in west London.

Striker Ikpeazu joined the club from Wycombe and midfielder Crooks left Rotherham – both for undisclosed fees – to join Neil Warnock’s side.

Sammy Ameobi has yet to feature in pre-season due to an ongoing knee injury so the former Nottingham Forest forward will have to wait until making his first appearance.

Martin Payero, who played three times for Argentina at Tokyo 2020, joined the club on Thursday and could feature in midfield. Teenage striker Josh Coburn has impressed and could push for a starting spot, while goalkeeper Joe Lumley is in line for his debut.

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