Aleksandar Mitrovic will start for Fulham against Southampton at Craven Cottage on Saturday, according to manager Marco Silva.
The prolific striker has been dealing with a minor foot issue for the majority of the season, but he scored his tenth Premier League goal of the year on Boxing Day, as his team defeated Crystal Palace 3-0.
That didn’t stop him from starting all three of Serbia’s group stage games at the World Cup in Qatar, or from leading the line for Silva’s team in 13 of their 16 league games this season.
Mitrovic is one of only four players in the Premier League to hit double digits for goals so far this season, making him an integral part of Silva’s Fulham team.
Thankfully for the Portuguese manager, although worryingly for Saints fans, Mitrovic should be in the starting XI for the Whites again when they take on Nathan Jones’ side at Craven Cottage on Saturday.
Aleksandar Mitrovic has now scored 53 goals in his last 56 league appearances. Seriously think about that and let it sink in.
53. In 56 games.
Enjoy it, Fulham fans, we will never, ever see anything like it again. pic.twitter.com/H9qPOxoMGB
— Tristan Poturicic (@Serbiantennis77) December 28, 2022
Will Mitrovic Start Against Southampton?
Speaking in his pre-match press conference about Mitrovic, Silva said: “He will be ready to start.
“Last Friday was the first day that he trained with the team and of course we had doubts if he could play or not. I’m not saying that he is 100 per cent fit from his foot problem but he is getting better with more sessions.
“The game that he played he did fantastic on Boxing Day and of course he’s really important for us and it’s a good sign for us that he is working more with the team and is more involved now.
“Even if he’s not 100 per cent, he will be in a condition to start the game.”
Asked whether it was a risk to continue to start the Serbian while he is still not fully fit, Silva said: “We have the okay from the medical staff, myself and him.
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“We spoke before the [Crystal Palace] match and the feedback from him was that is ready to go.
“Of course, if he’s going to start tomorrow then it will be the same. Like he started the games in the World Cup as well – the medical staff from the national team and our medical staff were always in contact.
“And when I was talking to medical staff, we took decisions like that one.”
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