Fulham are gearing up for a return to the Premier League ahead of the 2020-21 season following their promotion from the Championship last term.

The Cottagers have won two promotions and suffered one relegation in the past three seasons and, after needing the playoffs to go up last season, are among the favourites to go down again.

Here, Sports Mole takes an in-depth look at Scott Parker's side ahead of the 2020-21 campaign.

How did they fare last season?

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Well enough to earn promotion.

In what was a topsy-turvy Championship season, Fulham fell short of automatic promotion but ended the campaign well after recovering from back-to-back losses at the hands of promotion rivals Brentford and Leeds United in their first two games after lockdown.

Relegated from the Premier League in 2018-19, the season began in worrying fashion with defeat away to Barnsley, but three successive wins after that got them on track for a campaign which would end one year and one day later in the playoff final.

Seventeen points from the last 21 on offer saw them clinch fourth in the final standings, finishing two points off second-placed West Bromwich Albion courtesy of a final-day draw at Wigan Athletic.

A 2-0 win away to Cardiff City in the first leg of their playoff semi-final paved the way for an aggregate triumph despite losing the second leg 2-1 at home, setting up a final against local rivals Brentford at Wembley.

The most lucrative match in football was goalless after 90 minutes as it went into extra time, when a brace for unlikely hero Joe Bryan fired Fulham into the Premier League - undoubtedly the high point of an arduous campaign.

Biggest improvement needed

Away form.

Only Leeds United picked up more home points in the Championship last season, but it was a different story on the road as Scott Parker's side drew 10 matches and won only eight - the same number as 16th-placed Sheffield Wednesday.

While that was by no means the worst record in the second tier, in the Premier League it may not be good enough, and Fulham know that from experience having won just one and lost 18 of their last 21 away games in the top flight.

Fulham will also likely need to become less reliant on Championship top scorer Aleksandar Mitrovic, with a league-low 11 different players getting on the scoresheet for them last season.

Manager: Scott Parker

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After cutting his teeth as a coach at Craven Cottage, Scott Parker was initially handed the reins on a temporary basis in February last year.

The former midfielder, who played 119 times for the Cottagers before hanging up his boots, was unable to save Fulham from relegation from the Premier League, but had shown the board enough to appoint him on a full-time basis last summer.

So far, it looks as though that was the right decision with Parker leading Fulham back into the big time at the first time of asking.

Key player: Aleksandar Mitrovic

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Mitrovic is heading into his fourth season at Craven Cottage, and two of the previous three have been spent in the Championship - a level arguably below what Mitrovic's talent deserves.

The 25-year-old was the Championship's top scorer last season with 26 in 40 appearances, and overall he averages a goal every other game for the Cottagers.

Parker will want others to help share the goalscoring burden more, but in Mitrovic they have a striker perfectly capable of playing at this level.

Summer transfer business

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In
Anthony Knockaert (£10.5m, Brighton & Hove Albion)
Antonee Robinson (£1.9m, Wigan Athletic)
Mario Lemina (loan, Southampton)
Harrison Reed (£5.9m, Southampton)
Alphonse Areola (loan, Paris Saint-Germain)
Kenny Tete (£2.9m, Lyon)
Ola Aina (loan, Torino)
Ademola Lookman (loan, RB Leipzig)
Joachim Andersen (loan, Lyon)
Tosin Adarabioyo (£1.5m, Manchester City)
Ruben Loftus-Cheek (loan, Chelsea)
Terence Kongolo (£4m, Huddersfield Town)

Out
Magnus Norman (free, Carlisle United)
Luca de la Torre (undisclosed, Heracles)
Cody Drameh (£400,000, Leeds United)
Marlon Fossey (loan, Shrewsbury Town)
Martell Taylor-Crossdale (loan, Colchester United)
Alfie Mawson (loan, Bristol City)
Steven Sessegnon (loan, Bristol City)
Marcus Bettinelli (loan, Middlesbrough)
Jordan Archer (released)
Matt O'Riley (released)
Cyrus Christie (loan, Nottingham Forest)
Jerome Opoku (loan, Plymouth Argyle)
Anthony Knockaert (loan, Nottingham Forest)
Timmy Abraham (loan, Plymouth Argyle)

Fulham total spent to date: £33.5m
Fulham total received to date: £0

Fulham net transfer balance: -£33.5m

Squad

1. Alphonse Areola (GK)
2. Kenny Tete (DF)
3. Michael Hector (DF)
4. Denis Odoi (DF)
6. Kevin McDonald (MF)
7. Neeskens Kebano (MF)
8. Stefan Johansen (MF)
9. Aleksandar Mitrovic (FW)
10. Tom Cairney (MF)
11. Anthony Knockaert (FW)
12. Marek Rodak (GK)
13. Tim Ream (DF)
14. Bobby Decordova-Reid (FW)
18. Mario Lemina (MF)
19. Ivan Cavaleiro (FW)
20. Maxime Le Marchand (DF)
21. Harrison Reed (MF)
22. Cyrus Christie (DF)
23. Joe Bryan (DF)
24. Jean Michael Seri (MF)
25. Josh Onomah (MF)
29. Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa (MF)
31. Fabri (GK)
33. Antonee Robinson (DF)
34. Ola Aina (DF)
47. Aboubakar Kamara (FW)

Possible starting XI

Fixture list

Fulham's return to the Premier League gets off to a difficult start with a London derby at home to Arsenal in their opening match, before a trip to face fellow newly-promoted side Leeds United in what will be their opponents' first home top-flight game in 16 years.

Arsenal are the only member of the 'big six' that they face before December, but the festive period could not get off to a much tougher start with Manchester City away followed by Liverpool at home.

The Cottagers host Chelsea in the West London derby in January and then make the short trip to Stamford Bridge at the start of May - the last of three consecutive derbies which also see Fulham take on Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur.

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SEPTEMBER

12: Arsenal (h)

19: Leeds (a)

26: Aston Villa (h)

OCTOBER

3: Wolves (a)

17: Sheff Utd (a)

24: Crystal Palace (h)

31: West Brom (h)

NOVEMBER

7: West Ham (a)

21: Everton (h)

28: Leicester (a)

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DECEMBER

5: Man City (a)

12: Liverpool (h)

15: Brighton (h)

19: Newcastle (a)

26: Southampton (h)

28: Tottenham (a)

JANUARY

2: Burnley (a)

12: Man Utd (h)

16: Chelsea (h)

26: Brighton (a)

30: West Brom (a)

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FEBRUARY

2: Leicester (h)

6: West Ham (h)

13: Everton (a)

20: Sheff Utd (h)

27: Crystal Palace (a)

MARCH

6: Liverpool (a)

13: Man City (h)

20: Leeds (h)

APRIL

3: Aston Villa (a)

10: Wolves (h)

17: Arsenal (a)

24: Tottenham (h)

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MAY

1: Chelsea (a)

8: Burnley (h)

12: Southampton (a)

15: Man Utd (a)

23: Newcastle (h)

Prediction: 20th

Fulham have had the makings of a yo-yo club in recent seasons - too good for the Championship but not quite good enough for the Premier League - and we can see that trend continuing this season.

Their two most expensive signings have been turning loans into permanent deals, leaving them to rely on largely the same squad that finished fourth in the Championship last year, plus loanee Mario Lemina and Antonee Robinson.

Parker's side do have quality and in Mitrovic have someone capable of getting the goals they need to stay up, but he will need much more help from those around him and that will only be more difficult in the top flight.