Sandro Tonali could feature for Newcastle United when they travel to Fulham for the final day of the 2025/26 season on Sunday, manager Eddie Howe said on Friday morning, with kickoff scheduled for 4pm BST at Craven Cottage.
Tonali was withdrawn early in the second half of Newcastle’s 3-1 win over West Ham last weekend, but Howe played down the concern: "Sandro, potentially, will be available. We will look at him again today. We don’t think it is anything serious." The Italian midfielder’s availability will shape how Newcastle approach a fixture they have dominated historically at Fulham’s ground.
The raw numbers underline why this match matters. Fulham have lost six of their last eight Premier League games against Newcastle and none of Newcastle’s 17 Premier League away games at Craven Cottage have ended in a draw — a run matched only by Chelsea at home to Sunderland as the most-played fixture without a draw in the competition. Add to that Newcastle’s string of unbeaten final-league trips to London — seven matches, including 4-0 and 2-0 wins at Fulham in 2018-19 and 2020-21 — and the Magpies arrive with a clear historical edge.
But the immediate weight of the contest favors caution: Fulham beat Newcastle twice in the Premier League last season, and the home side has enjoyed a strong campaign at Craven Cottage. Fulham’s home record for the season stands at 10 wins, 2 draws and 6 defeats — their best top-flight home tally since 2011-12 — and Harry Wilson has been central to that, contributing 10 goals and six assists. Against a Newcastle side that has won only two of their eight Premier League away games in 2026, those facts make this a competitive end to the season.
Context sharpens the stakes. Fulham have won only one of their last eight final league matches, though that lone victory came recently when they ended last season with a 4-2 win at Luton. Newcastle, by contrast, lost their final league game at home to Everton last season and have not lost consecutive final matches since 2011-12 to 2013-14, a small but relevant historical caution if the Magpies slip up here. The match is both a capstone and a final chance to set momentum heading into the close season.
Tension arrives in the form of contrasts: Newcastle’s forwards have been productive this term — William Osula has seven Premier League goals, six of them in his last eight appearances, Bruno Guimarães has nine, and Nick Woltemade eight — but the side’s away form in 2026 has been patchy, with only wins at Tottenham in February and Chelsea in March. Fulham counter with home consistency and a long-serving goalkeeper in Bernd Leno, who has started each of Fulham’s last 149 Premier League games, an ironman statistic that underlines the stability at Craven Cottage.
Howe stressed the desire to finish strongly and the importance of Tonali’s role in that plan: "We hope to continue the upturn in our recent performances, upturn in our in-possession play, we want to end the season high, it is an important match for us." He added that one young forward on the books has room to grow: "He is at a really good age, lots of things to continue to work on, there are lots of untapped areas we can develop." On Tonali’s potential, Howe was bullish about the midfielder’s ceiling: "The ceiling in his development is really high. He has the raw ingredients, the physical profile too."
For Fulham, the danger is clear: their strong home record and Wilson’s double-digit goal involvements this season make them capable of spoiling Newcastle’s plans regardless of history. For Newcastle, a fit Tonali preserves the midfield balance that helped secure the 3-1 win over West Ham and could be decisive if they are to avoid a repeat of last season’s final-day disappointment.
The most consequential question now is straightforward: will Tonali be declared fit in time to start and, if so, can Newcastle translate their London unbeaten run into a season-closing statement? Howe promised the squad wants to "end the season on a real high." If Tonali plays, Newcastle’s odds of doing that look better — but Fulham’s form at Craven Cottage means nothing here is guaranteed.
