The 2016/17 Championship campaign kicks off with Fulham squaring off against Newcastle United at Craven Cottage on Friday night and the match will certainly prove to be a very entertaining encounter.
Fulham Match Betting News
Fulham have endured a couple of terrible seasons in the Championship since their relegation from the Premier League back in 2013 and the Cottagers only managed to avoid relegation last term by the skin of their teeth, finishing in 20th place in the table.
Given the fact that manager Slaviša Jokanović has been afforded the opportunity to start on a clean slate this summer, fans are bit optimistic heading into the upcoming campaign and promotion will be the target for the Cottagers.
Fulham have been very active in the transfer market this summer, bringing in the likes of David Button, Floyd Ayite, Kevin McDonald, Michael Madl, Sone Aluko and Denis Odoi among others but none of the signings look inspiring enough to guide Fulham to promotion.
Nonetheless, the Championship is a notoriously difficult division to predict and Jokanović will be hopeful that his side gets off to a good start at home when they square off against Newcastle United on Friday.
Newcastle United Match Betting News
Newcastle United suffered a devastating relegation into the Championship but it has to be said that rather than a gloomy outlook, the Magpies faithful are very optimistic ahead of the upcoming Championship campaign.
Newcastle managed to convince Rafael Benitez to continue on as manager and the Spaniard has most certainly strengthened his side significantly this summer with the signings of Matt Ritchie, Dwight Gayle, Matz Sels and Grant Hanley among others.
As a result of their summer splurge, many expect Newcastle to claim the Championship title this season without much trouble but the second tier of English football is certainly not so straightforward and Benitez will surely be taking it one game at a time, starting off with the opening clash against Fulham at Craven Cottage.
Fulham vs Newcastle United Match Prediction
These two sides last squared off against each other at Craven Cottage back in 2014 in the Premier League and Fulham were the victors on that occasion.
Heading into Friday night’s fixture though, Newcastle seem to have the edge due to their significantly superior squad and the Magpies should be able to claim the victory on the night.