Andoni Iraola is full of admiration for the job Marco Silva is doing at Fulham, ahead of their clash with Bournemouth on Monday.

The Cottagers head to the Vitality Stadium sitting pretty in the race for Europe.

Indeed, should results go their way on Sunday, Fulham may only be six points off the top five, which would now be enough to guarantee Champions League qualification.

Albeit realistically, Fulham are more likely to be competing for a place in the Europa League or Conference League. They are on 48 points, the same as Brighton and three more than Bournemouth.

Monday's encounter, then, could be decisive, but Iraola is expecting a stern challenge.

"I like a lot of these players and they perform consistently very well," Iraola said of Fulham, as reported by the Daily Echo.

"I think they have some players that also with experience, players that they've signed, [Joachim] Andersen, [Alex] Iwobi, both number nines are in a really nice spot.

"They have adapted really well and they are giving a high level.

"But you can say the same about our players, also the same. I think it's two teams that we've been fighting.

"I think also they came up together to the league. So I think it has been like a fight for the last seasons, quite close and it's always a challenge."

Fulham boosted their European hopes by beating Premier League leaders Liverpool last week, and for Marco Silva, the pressure of competing for European qualification is a privilege.

"We set the target at the beginning of the season for us to arrive in the final stages fighting for something important," he told Sky Sports.

"It is not extra pressure or more pressure for us. It is a privilege to have this type of thing. It is what I want.

"It is the pressure that I put on myself, my staff, my players and now if we have the chance to fight [for it], we have to embrace it."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Bournemouth - Evanilson

Evanilson has scored nine Premier League goals this season, the most by a player in their debut campaign with Bournemouth in the competition. The only Brazilians to score 10+ in their first Premier League seasons are Robinho (14 in 2008-09), Roberto Firmino (10 in 2015-16) and Matheus Pereira (11 in 2020-21).

Fulham - Rodrigo Muniz

Muniz has scored in each of Fulham’s last three league games.

The only Brazilian to score in four successive Premier League appearances is Richarlison, who has achieved the feat twice (March 2021 for Everton and February 2024 for Tottenham).

MATCH PREDICTION: BOURNEMOUTH WIN

The Cherries are winless in their last six top-flight matches, but they have won their last two home league games against Fulham, last winning three in a row against them between 1928 and 1931. 

Fulham have kept just one clean sheet in their last 12 league games against Bournemouth (1-0 in April 2019), though they have only failed to score in one of their last eight against the Cherries (0-3 in December 2023), so expect goals.

Bournemouth have lost each of their last four home league games; in their Football League/Premier League history, only in October 1996 and April 2005 have they ever suffered five successive home defeats, both as a third-tier club.

Fulham have alternated between winning (four) and losing (three) in each of their last seven Premier League games, beating Liverpool 3-2 last time out. Only in September (v Newcastle and Nottingham Forest), November (v Brentford & Crystal Palace), and February (v Newcastle and Forest) have the Cottagers won back-to-back league games this season.

Silva's team have scored at least twice in 17 Premier League matches this season, including 10 of their last 14. Only in 2003-04 have they scored 2+ goals in more different games in a campaign in the competition (19).

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Bournemouth - 45.4%

Fulham - 29.5%

Draw - 25.1%