Premier League preview: Aston Villa v Fulham

Fulham can keep their unlikely push for European football alive this weekend when they visit struggling Aston Villa on Saturday.

Martin Jol’s side, Europa League finalists in 2009/10, qualified for the tournament this season because of their fair-play ranking, but failed to progress to the knockout stages.

With 11 games remaining in their 2011/12 campaign, eighth-placed Fulham are 10 points behind Chelsea in the race for fifth spot in the English Premier League, and wins are at a premium for the Craven Cottage outfit if they want to embark on another European adventure.

They certainly head into the contest in a rich vein of form – riding a three-game winning streak, including a 5-0 pummelling of Wolves in their most recent outing.

Alex McLeish’s Aston Villa side, however, have more humble ambitions.

McLeish’s tenure at Villa Park has been a tough one so far, with the club sitting in 15th place, eight points clear of the relegation zone.

Villa are without a win in their last five league matches, and you have to go back to their 3-2 triumph at Wolves on January 21 to find their last league victory.

In their last meeting, Fulham and Villa played out a goalless draw at Craven Cottage in August.

McLeish’s cause has not been helped by the ankle ligament injury that ended top-scorer Darren Bent’s season, while midfielder Fabian Delph has also been ruled out for the rest of the campaign with an ankle complaint.

Scotsman McLeish has problems at the back, with Irish defensive duo Richard Dunne (broken collar bone) and Ciaran Clark (knee) both missing.

Fulham have fitness concerns of their own – Steve Sidwell is still sidelined by a hernia and defender Zdenek Grygera is a long-term casualty with a knee injury, although Stephen Kelly could return from a thigh problem.