Bernd Leno knows Newcastle United will be highly motivated to return to winning ways at Craven Cottage on Saturday.
No side has drawn more matches than the Magpies’ five this season, with their only victory arriving on the opening day.
“I think it’s a big game,” Leno said. “Newcastle have a very good team but I think they’ve underperformed a little bit.
“They had a big game against Liverpool but conceded a [winning] goal at the end, two weeks ago they played against Bournemouth and unfortunately got just one point.
“They have a little bit of pressure to win some games, and I think at Craven Cottage we showed everyone how strong we are, what kind of football we play.
“I think they respect our game and it will be very tough for us, for them as well, so I think it’s going to be a 50-50 game.”
With the postponement of the Chelsea fixture, Leno has featured just twice at the Cottage for Fulham so far, but he waxed lyrical about the atmosphere provided by the fans in those wins over Brentford and Brighton.
“They are a big advantage for us,” he stated. “The way they push, every dive or every tackle they celebrate like a goal.
“I really like Craven Cottage because it’s very narrow, very tight. It looks like the fans are next to us. Behind the goal, when I take my drink I have the feeling I can hug them, and I really love that.
“I spoke already to some [opposition] players and they said it’s so tight to play against you because the energy from the fans, the energy from the team, it’s tough to play against, so hopefully we can show that against Newcastle again.”
Aleksandar Mitrović took his tally for the season to 10 goals in nine appearances for club and country over the international period.
He’s a player that Leno always rated, but seeing him up close has allowed the goalkeeper to truly appreciate his teammate’s all-round game.
“I think he’s our biggest player,” Leno said. “Not only with his goals, his performances, the way he keeps the ball, he’s the first player pressing.
“I’m very impressed with him. I knew he was good, but I’ve been impressed by how good he really is. We’re very happy to have him in the team.
“He’s a good goal scorer, he can keep the ball, he can score a goal out of nothing and, like I said, we are very happy to have him in our team.”
