Leeds United face Fulham at Elland Road on Saturday, with both sides in strong Premier League form and Dominic Calvert-Lewin in focus after a run of goals that has moved Leeds eight points clear of the
relegation zone.
Fulham arrive unbeaten in six league matches, with four wins and two draws since 13 December, and the team has scored in 10 successive Premier League games, netting 18 times and opening the scoring in seven of those matches.
Leeds lost the last league match against Newcastle, yet Elland Road has remained a solid base, with Leeds unbeaten in four home Premier League fixtures there, winning two and drawing two, their best single-season top-flight home run since December 2021 under Marcelo Bielsa.
However, Leeds will remember Fulham’s last league visit in October 2022, when Fulham won at Elland Road, and history shows Leeds have never suffered back-to-back home league defeats against Fulham, adding an extra layer of intrigue to Saturday’s meeting.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin has produced nine goals in 19 Premier League games for Leeds, a run that now places the striker behind only Antoine Semenyo, Igor Thiago and Erling Haaland in the scoring charts, with those three registering 10, 16 and 20 league goals respectively this season.
Marco Silva worked with Calvert-Lewin at Everton, where Calvert-Lewin scored 13 times in 54 competitive appearances under Silva, with only Gylfi Sigurdsson on 16 and Richarlison on 21 managing more Everton goals during Silva’s tenure at Goodison Park.
Silva explained that Calvert-Lewin’s current form is no surprise, saying: "It's not the first time he's performed at this level,said Silva. When you talk about performing, hes a striker who can score in many different ways. When you look through his career, when he's playing, the numbers are there. Game by game, he's getting better and showing he's a proven Premier League striker. "
Leeds vs Fulham: Elland Road challenge and Silva’s expectations
Silva has only managed at Elland Road once before, guiding Fulham to a 3-2 league victory during the 2022-23 campaign, yet Silva expects another demanding afternoon and referenced Fulham’s 1-0 home win over Leeds at Craven Cottage earlier this season as evidence of Leeds’ stubborn qualities.
Silva underlined the challenge of the venue and the opponent, stating: "It is never easy to play there,addedSilva. They have been very strong at home, achieving results away from home as well. They have the quality, the organisation, the manager, and the individual players. To play at Elland Road, we all know what it means. The home support is unbelievable, and they make it hard for the opposition. We played against them earlier this season [a 1-0 win at Craven Cottage]and it was a difficult game for us. "
Leeds vs Fulham: Leeds squad, Facundo Buonanotte and Daniel Farke’s stance
Leeds look to build on a 3-1 FA Cup third-round win over Derby County and have already strengthened, with Facundo Buonanotte joining on loan from Brighton until the end of the season, though Daniel Farke maintains that further transfers will only happen under strict conditions.
Farke explained the club’s recruitment thinking, telling reporters: "We spoke in the summer very openly about what we wanted to do, Farke told reporters. We wanted to do more in the offence, in a creative number 10 or winger position, and then on the last day we missed out. Nevertheless, we have developed really well as a group, and we're on a good path. We've progressed into the next round of the FA Cup, at Premier League level, we're on a good path. We have a good, capable group that we trust. We could do something if we thought, 'Okay, this player would improve our squad, he's a character who fits into this group'. We won't risk anything that will risk our spirit. "
Leeds vs Fulham: Players to watch in Premier League clash
Calvert-Lewin has transformed his Leeds league season after scoring once in the first 10 Premier League matches; since then, the striker has struck eight goals in nine league games and now stands one goal away from a third double-figure Premier League campaign after returns of 16 in 2020-21 and 13 in 2019-20.
For Fulham, Harry Wilson remains crucial after scoring a winner against Chelsea that moved Wilson to 11 Premier League goal involvements this season, with seven goals and four assists, and ten of those contributions have arrived since the start of November, a spell during which only Haaland with 12 and Thiago with 11 have provided more.
Leeds vs Fulham prediction, streaks and historical markers
Fulham have defeated Leeds in three straight league meetings, their longest winning run against Leeds, and Silva’s side are also unbeaten in 12 Premier League fixtures against promoted clubs, winning seven and drawing five, including five consecutive victories heading into this latest encounter.
A win at Elland Road would give Fulham four victories over promoted opposition in a single Premier League season for the first time since 2004-05, while only Liverpool and Manchester City, both nine, are on longer active unbeaten runs in the competition than Fulham’s six-match sequence.
In that same spell from 13 December, only Arsenal with 16 points have collected more Premier League points than Fulham’s 14, underlining the consistency carrying Silva’s team into their latest away test against a Leeds side eager to extend an unbeaten home league streak.
Leeds vs Fulham Opta win probability and key numbers
Despite Fulham’s strong record, Opta’s model suggests a finely balanced contest, with Leeds given a marginally higher chance of success than their visitors and a draw also viewed as a realistic outcome in this Premier League meeting.
| Result | Opta win probability |
|---|---|
| Leeds win | 36.9% |
| Draw | 26.3% |
| Fulham win | 36.8% |
Overall, Fulham’s attacking momentum, unbeaten run and success against promoted teams set up a tight contest with Leeds’ recent home form, Calvert-Lewin’s scoring surge and fresh loan addition Buonanotte, leaving this Elland Road match well poised and the pre-game prediction leaning towards a draw.
