LONDON (SE) - With Premier League safety all but secured Fulham turn their attention to breaking a 64-year-old hoodoo when they visit Everton this weekend.
Fulham (10-10-14) have never won a league game at Goodison Park, losing on 20 of their 24 visits since they first played in 1949. They haven't even managed a point at the home of Saturday's opponents since 1959.
Martin Jol, would have been three years old the last time the side he currently manages came away unscathed from the Blue half of Merseyside and he is well aware of the historic challenge facing Fulham on Saturday.
"Everton is not an easy team for us," Jol told the club website. "For Fulham, it's not an easy ground so we have to try to do some things differently and try to come up with a result. They are a very consistent team and, of course, rely on the big players. Marouane Fellaini, for example, if he's there they've got a little something extra.
"Of course they've got that style with these full-backs, being very compact and very organised, so I feel that they've had a season that is more consistent than before probably. They're always in the top eight - the top seven sometimes - but now they're getting stronger and stronger. I think that Everton could end up in the top five - they were even in contention to be in the top four."
Over the years the Cottagers have managed a couple of victories in FA Cup fifth round ties at Goodison, but the last of those was in 1975 and they have lost nine consecutive matches there.
Despite this record of woe, Toffees goalkeeper Tim Howard insists the record books will count for nothing when the teams take the field.
"The record sounds good and hopefully we can add to it," he told the club website. "But I think every game is its own single entity. Those games aren't going to really matter when the whistle blows on Saturday.
"It's nice to see that and it gives maybe an extra incentive and motivation. But for the most part, it means nothing."
Fulham's task won't be made any easier by the Toffees' outstanding home form this season. Everton (14-14-6) have just one home loss this season (to Chelsea) tying Man City for fewest home defeats in the division. The last time Everton went a full season with just one home defeat was in 1986-87, their last title winning campaign.
As well as the historic winless streak, Fulham will be looking to end a scoreless streak that stretches to 204 minutes. That streak extends to 428 minutes if you exclude the own goals scored by QPR's Clint Hill and Aston Villa's Fabian Delph respectively.
Taking those into consideration, no Fulham player has scored in the Premier League since Dimitar Berbatov netted against QPR on Apr. 1.
Everton are also on a prolonged goal drought having been shut out in back-to-back matches. All told, it is 214 minutes since the Toffees have scored.
Emmanuel Frimpong is available for Fulham after being ineligible to play against his parent club, Arsenal, last week. Sascha Riether will be assessed before the game. Simon Davies, Ashkan Dejagah and Mahamadou Diarra are all out as is Steve Sidwell, who is suspended after being sent off against Arsenal.
Sidwell netted a last-gasp equalizer when the sides met at Craven Cottage in November. Bryan Ruiz gave Fulham the lead before a double from Fellaini looked to have secured the points for Everton until Sidwell's late intervention.
More Info: PEC Zwolle - FC Utrecht - Dutch Eredivisie
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