Fulham boss Marco Silva has been speaking to the media before Saturday’s Premier League game at Everton (17:30 BST).
Here are the key lines from his news conference:
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Silva gave a fitness update on his squad: “Jorge Cuenca and Carlos Vinicius are going in the right direction. In the last two or three days, they have been working with the team. Tomorrow, we have another session and we will assess them.”
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Joachim Andersen is suspended after his red card against Aston Villa and Sasa Lukic will not return until November.
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Silva said it is another chance for Issa Diop to step into central defence: “The way he reacted to the own goal [against Villa] was really good. He is going to be important for us. He works hard. He’s a team player. He is ready to help everyone. Let’s hope he can perform the way we know he can.”
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Reacting to Andreas Pereira’s penalty miss against Villa, Silva said: “We have three or four players who can take penalties. I am going to decide. The players show me in training who is most capable to take them. It’s always a tough moment if you miss a big chance, especially a penalty.”
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On Calvin Bassey: “Calvin had an impact last season. He has the skills, ability and talent to be a top central defender. I really trust him. I really believe he has the capacity to be a very good central defender. He has everything.”
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On the challenge posed by the Toffees: “For a long, long time, Fulham wasn’t able to win there and as a team we were able to change it. It’s a good sign. We know the type of game we are going to play, but it’s always really tough.”
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It will be his last visit to Goodison Park: “It was an honour for me to be Everton manager. It’s going to be my last game at Goodison. It’s a special place. But it’s a football match, nothing more. I’m managing Fulham and I want to win the game.”
