Gonzalo Garcia marked his Fulham debut with a goal against Chelsea, capitalising on another error from Robert Sanchez. The 22-year-old was brought to Craven Cottage by Arbeloa, who knows him well from their time together at Real Madrid, and he is expected to replace the attacking output from Raul Jimenez, after the Mexican international re-joined Wolves.

It wasn’t an easy debut for Garcia, but he looked sharp and remained involved throughout the match. He recorded three shots, including two blocked efforts during the first half, before heading home Fulham’s second goal after the break. Garcia was used as Kylian Mbappe’s understudy at Madrid last season, and he has been brought in by Arbeloa to play more regularly. It’s a massive opportunity for him to showcase his talent.

Brian Brobbey should be looking forward to facing this Fulham defence, based on how Joao Pedro performed last weekend, but the focus here is on his matchup against Calvin Bassey.

The Nigerian international is adept at buying soft free-kicks, and he tends to hit the deck under pressure. He was booked for simulation against Chelsea, but did manage to land this selection in the first-half, where he was chopped down by Romeo Lavia after going on a solo run. 

Last season, Bassey averaged 1.42 fouls drawn per 90 in the Premier League, which is impressively high for a centre-back. That figure increased to 1.71 when playing away, and he draws an excellent matchup here against Brobbey, who is a very physical and direct centre forward.

Josh King started in the advanced midfield position against Chelsea last weekend, and he was one of Fulham’s standout performers.

He opened his goal scoring account during the first half, albeit with considerable help from Robert Sanchez, and was a constant outlet for the hosts. His work rate was also commendable, with King regularly dropping deeper into midfield, which meant he finished the game with two fouls.The 19-year-old contested ten duels and completed two tackles during the defeat. 

King averaged 0.97 fouls per 90 in the Premier League last season, and he will now be directly up against Sunderland midfielders Noah Sadiki and Granit Xhaka. Those two combined to draw 2.54 fouls per 90 last season, with Sadiki averaging 1.24 and Xhaka recording 1.30. Both are comfortable receiving possession under pressure in central areas.

Bernd Leno was called into action several times against Chelsea. The Blues aren’t short of talent going forward, but Fulham’s defence offered little protection for the German international, and Leno was able to land this selection. Considering he also conceded three goals, it shows how Fulham leaked chances. 

Sunderland were a difficult side to face at home last season, where they had an average of 12.05 shots per game. The crowd plays a big role, and they should be looking forward to this match, being the first home match of the campaign. Sunderland managed just two shots on target in this fixture last season, but given Fulham’s changes over the summer, the Black Cats should find more success this time round.

Fulham were beaten 3-2 by Chelsea in gameweek one, but there were positives for Arbeloa’s side, who found the back of the net twice. However, both of those goals came about as a result from mistakes from Robert Sanchez, and Fulham looked permeable at the back. The Cottagers conceded after just 31 seconds, while Chelsea were able to play through their midfield too easily.

BTTS also landed in Sunderland’s opening fixture, as they suffered a 2-1 defeat against Ipswich. Regis Le Bris’ side weren’t at their best going forward, but they tend to play with more attacking intent at home. 

The previous meeting between these sides at the Stadium of Light finished 3-1 to Sunderland, which bodes well for this selection.