At Fulham and competition teaser

I'm the first person to say it's pointless to get carried away and the first to get overly optimistic. It's the pain I carry for supporting Aston Villa and coming from a time when we were a top side, feared by most other sides and also I'm also a person that believes anything is possible.

And the season is so early. When I was growing up the table wasn't even published until six games in (maybe less) so what it looks like right now is irrelevant. It only goes to serve those selling links, sorry clicks, sorry newspapers.

We've played one game, but a win tonight would put us third in the table and while not everyone has played three games, it would be nice if after two we had six points. I mean, we have to believe we can get the points and while it's easy to write it's only Fulham, this is one of those matches that if we don't get a win, we will be disappointed and it will feel like a missed opportunity.

Fulham have played twice this season and not won. It feels like a good time to be playing them and it feels like this is an opportunity we shouldn't waste. We're not going to get many opportunities to play a side fancied to be relegated this season and we have to take them.

And the performance and result against Bristol the other night was good. And sure, it was only Bristol but three goals builds confidence. And we have to fancy that Fulham wont have a man sent off and we get to play against a side that will come at us. We actually need them to come at us.

Match facts from the BBC

Head-to-head

• Fulham have won five consecutive home matches against Aston Villa in all competitions since a 0-0 Premier League draw in August 2011.
• Villa only managed one point from the four most recent Premier League encounters. Their most recent victory in this fixture was 1-0 at home in March 2012.

Fulham

• Fulham haven't lost their opening three league fixtures since starting the 2014-15 Championship season with four defeats.
• They have conceded seven times in their opening two league matches this season. The Premier League record for most goals conceded by a club in their opening three matches is 11 by West Brom this season.
• None of Fulham's last 21 Premier League games have finished level, with the Cottagers winning just five of them and conceding 45 goals.
• Since his debut for the club in February 2018, Aleksandar Mitrovic has scored 39% of Fulham's league goals.
• However, Mitrovic has failed to score in all six competitive appearances against Aston Villa for Newcastle and Fulham.

Aston Villa

• Villa are attempting to begin a Premier League season with successive victories for only the third time, having done so in 1995 and 1999.
• Aston Villa's current five-match unbeaten run in the top flight is their longest since May-October 2011, when they went 10 games without defeat.
• They have earned just one point from their past 10 Premier League fixtures in London since beating Tottenham in April 2015.
• It's 26 top-flight away games without a clean sheet for Villa since a 0-0 draw at West Brom in January 2016.
• Seven of their past nine Premier League goals have come from set-pieces: four corners and three free-kicks.

#LoveLuke competition teaser

So we had a competition last weekend to guess the total number of goals scored in all Premier League matches on Saturday, Sunday and Monday. Three of you guessed 38 and all three of you have received an email from me now to say you're in the hat. Later today, just before the match, I'll put your names in a hat and draw it live. You'll all get a link to watch and we'll see how it goes.

Until then, stay safe and wear your mask.