Fulham boss Marco Silva has been speaking to the media before Saturday’s Premier League game against Middlesbrough at Craven Cottage (kick-off 15:00 GMT).
Here are the key lines from his news conference:
On team news: “Rodrigo [Muniz], Kenny Tete, and Josh King, they are going to be out, plus the African Cup situation that you know. All the others are going to be in contention.”
On winning despite missing key players: “It doesn’t surprise me at all. Of course, we like every side in the world, not just in the Premier League; we are going to be stronger if you have all the players available. But the players have responded really well. Players that more or less they know that they are not relaxing, they are working hard for the team, that is a good sign too. And I expect to always be prepared and the ambition always to be ready for the games and to fight for the three points.”
Silva believes that “the best way to show” that they could win the FA Cup is by focusing on tomorrow’s game and take it “step by step”.
On the significance of the FA Cup: “The competition is so special. It’s the oldest competition in the world, a very important one. It doesn’t matter what type of club you are, if you are a Premier club, Championship club or whatever, you have a chance to dream for something or to fight for something, more fight than to dream, to be honest.”
Silva praised Harry Wilson’s contributions to the team this season and described him as a player “in a great moment”. Silva said Fulham “have to take the best from him, keep the best from him, enjoy the football that he’s able to play right now and to help the team, not just with goals but in everything that he does on the pitch”.
On Middlesbrough: “Very competitive, first of all, and they are not in that position fighting for the first two spots in the Championship by coincidence. They are there because they have been very regular, if I can say so, very consistent in terms of performance. Even with the change in the manager position, they kept the same type of results and were consistent in that league, which is so tough. A good mix of experienced players.”
Follow all of Friday’s FA Cup news conferences and the rest of the day’s football news
Listen to the live commentary of Fulham v Middlesbrough on BBC Radio 5 Live from 15:00 GMT on Saturday
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