Premier League preview: Fulham v Wolves

If Fulham believe they can snatch a Europa League spot, a win against Wolverhampton in the English Premier League on Sunday is a must.

Consecutive victories – against Stoke City and Queens Park Rangers – have seen Fulham regain their belief after an indifferent first half of the campaign.

Martin Jol’s men are 11th – six points from seventh-placed Liverpool – ahead of their clash with Wolves at Craven Cottage on Sunday.

Russian striker Pavel Pogrebnyak has made an impact since joining from Bundesliga outfit Stuttgart in January, netting twice in as many games – including the winner against QPR.

Jol will be hoping former Real Madrid midfielder Mahamadou Diarra can have a similar impact after he signed a deal with the Londoners on Monday.

Clint Dempsey, who struck the winner in the United States’ shock 1-0 friendly win over Italy on Wednesday, may partner Pogrebnyak up front in what could prove a dangerous strike combination.

Jol is likely to be without Brede Hangeland, Steve Sidwell and Zdenek Grygera because of injury.

If Fulham do prove victorious, it will be the first time since May 2008 they have won three Premier League games in a row.

Wolves, who have won just one league game on the road this season, enter this clash on the back of a gutsy come-from-behind 2-2 draw at Newcastle.

In what was Terry Connor’s first game in charge, Wolves had Matt Jarvis and Kevin Doyle score having played the encounter without captain Roger Johnson, who was dropped.

Wolves are a point clear of the relegation zone after the draw at Sports Direct Arena, and Connor will be hopeful a win over Fulham will lead to them avoiding the drop and possibly keeping him in the job beyond the end of the season.

But Connor could be without Doyle, Dave Edwards and Wayne Hennessey for the trip, with the trio struggling to be fit in time for the encounter.

Fulham have started to find form after a slow start to the campaign, and this shapes as a must-win encounter if they want to challenge for a European spot.