Fulham vs. Newcastle United – English Premier League, May 23, 2021

What might have been a huge game at the bottom of the league between Fulham and Newcastle is now a dead rubber, as the home side has one final chance to win an EPL game before dropping down to the Championship.

Newcastle’s late-season form ensured that it was safe long before the final day. The pressure is very much off for Steve Bruce’s side now.

BetOnline makes Fulham the slight favorite to win this one on Sunday, but the prices for all outcomes are very close. That probably reflects the lack of importance of this game more than anything else.

How this one finishes really depends on which set of players are more bothered on the day.

Fulham plays its final game of a Premier League season that has been very disappointing for everyone at the club – and the feeling has to be that there were not enough good performances when it mattered. Scott Parker’s players gave themselves a chance of survival but then threw it away in the last few months of the season.

The Cottagers did make the most of Manchester United’s complacency on Tuesday to snatch a point at Old Trafford. But that was the 13^th draw of the season for Fulham, with only Brighton recording more. There have not been enough goals to turn those games into victories – and that, ultimately, has affected the club’s chances of staying up.

Steve Bruce will now be hoping that he can persuade Joe Willock to sign for the club permanently after his goal gave the Magpies another victory on Wednesday.

That win was the fourth in the last seven games and a great example of how Newcastle raised its game when it mattered. That wasn’t the case earlier in the season, and that was why the club flirted with relegation so closely. Injuries could play a part on Sunday, though.

A home win will not make any difference to the league table, but it might give Scott Parker and his players some comfort after such a tough season. With both of Newcastle’s main keepers possibly out for this one, Steve Bruce could be fielding an inexperienced side – and that would give Fulham the opportunity for a rare win to round the season off.