Image source, Getty ImagesIt's still all to play for in Fulham's four remaining Premier League games.
The permutations for getting into Europe this season are complex, but BBC Sport's Dale Johnson has broken them down here.
Do you think Craven Cottage will host European football next season? If so, why are you confident? If not, what can take the club on to that next step?
Drew Heatley
Fan writer
Image source, Getty ImagesWho else could it be but Sess?
In the week that the club triggered an extra year on his deal, Ryan Sessegnon breathed new life into our European push when all appeared lost.
His goal gave us our first win against Aston Villa in nearly four years and sparked renewed hope going into similarly tough games against Arsenal and Bournemouth.
The fact that we then lost him to injury is illustrative of the mixed bag this season has been.
Three wins out of our final four games would all-but guarantee a top eight finish, but there is little room for error.
Our hardest game comes next week at the Emirates, with Arsenal needing no fewer than three points to stay ahead of a rampant Manchester City side that can smell blood.
Our away record this campaign has been poor, which is why it is encouraging that two of our final four games are at home and our other away fixture is a trip to already relegated Wolves.
I cannot help but feel these next four fixtures will determine not just the direction of our 2026-27 season, but the next five years.
If we fail to secure Europe, I expect Marco Silva to depart in June. If we qualify, I think we can expect a new deal and a continuation of his five-year stay in SW6.
Tying down players like Sessegnon for at least another season gives us the type of continuity we crave as fans and Ryan is held in such high regard that it has certainly raised the mood around Craven Cottage.
But when it comes to contract extensions, there is only one that sits at the top of everyone's wish list. And come what may, we will know the outcome of that soon enough.
Find more from Drew Heatley at Fulhamish, external
Image source, Getty ImagesFormer Premier League striker Clinton Morrison believes Fulham boss Marco Silva is likely to leave the club in the summer but "it might be a different conversation" if they qualify for Europe.
Silva's contract expires at the end of June and, as things stand, the club are yet to confirm whether he will renew.
Ryan Sessegnon boosted Fulham's hopes of finishing in the European places as they beat Aston Villa on Saturday and moved up to 10th in the Premier League - one point behind Bournemouth in the current Conference League spot.
"Silva's stock is going to be high and I think he wants a change because he's not signed a new contract yet," said Morrison on BBC Radio 5 Live's Football Daily podcast. "But I don't understand why it's taking so long.
"He's done a brilliant job and they've got some top players. Everyone knows their role and they are a very good team.
"If Silva does get them into Europe then it might be a different conversation at the end of the season, but either way, he has done a fantastic job."
We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's Premier League game between Fulham and Aston Villa.
Here are some of your comments:
Fulham fans
David: Great improvement on last week - like a different team. Jimenez starting was the right decision - he makes so much more happen than Muniz. Robinson as substitute was much better than of late. Europe may be in reach.
Malachi: It was clear what Marco Silva wanted from his players. Fulham played intelligent, winning football. With Europe back in sight, I'm exited to see where we finish this season.
Tim: Brilliant on all fronts. Great to see the squad performing as they can - a proper team effort with a clean sheet and crisp, clean football. Marco and the coaching squad really prepared the team and the strategy held up. Now to help spoil the Arsenal's ending next weekend!
James: Come on, you Whites! It was a great performance and we completely deserved the three points. A trip to Europe is still in sight - only two points behind sixth. A very hard game coming up next against Arsenal.
Villa fans
Rob: We are staggering towards the Champions League, hoping that we have enough points in the bag to make it in fifth place. Poor finishing has cost us again with Watkins missing two good chances, Tammy one and Rogers one. It's been the story of our season. UCL qualification is critical if we are going to be able to improve because this squad of players are continuing to overachieve.
Matt: Yeesh, I seriously hope we had one eye on the upcoming semi against Nottingham Forest. Fulham did enough against a Villa side who were nowhere near their best. They'll need to double the workload midweek that's for sure, especially when Forest battered Sunderland comfortably. Sancho and Bailey are not good enough - they're meant to have an impact and did nothing. In Unai we trust, but the chances we missed today hopefully won't return to bite us. UTV.
Martyn: Villa are so frustrating. Their inconsistency is painful. An epic performance followed by a dripping wet, lacklustre game. Get. The. Job. Done.
Jack: We are lucky to be fifth and it's only because everyone outside the top two is poor that we are. Emery is a great coach but we have been largely poor under him for three months and, once again, have a very bad goal difference for the third season running. Spending more would help but we have a very large wage bill and wasted it on Sancho, Elliott, Bailey etc. If Forest knock us out of Europe it will be another season without a trophy.
Pundits Martin Keown and Steph Houghton join host Mark Chapman to bring you the action and talking points from Friday and Saturday's Premier League fixtures.
And listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:
Fulham boss Marco Silva speaking to BBC Match Of The Day: "Overall, good performance from us. We would've liked to have a bit more of the ball in the second half, to have longer periods of possession and be able to create more. We pressed them very well every moment. [Aston Villa are] a top side with physical and technical players but we needed [to win] and we wanted it. We created good moments. Second half it was difficult to press, we needed a bit of calmness and quality and could've created more. Back-to-back clean sheets in a crucial moment.
"Very hard work, some moments not easy. They had some moments but we were competitive."
On the disallowed goal: "No comments on that. The image speaks of the moment. The way you have asked me the question speaks about the moment."
On fighting for Europe: "Massive win against a top side. Always capable of finding moments to score the way they build through the spine of the team. Our work was good. Two points off sixth and it's going to be a big fight until the end. We have set ourselves in a position to fight for something so that should make everybody proud. It will be difficult. We have lots of injuries but we keep fighting to make people proud of us."
Did you know?
Fulham have beaten Aston Villa for the first time in the Premier League since 20 October 2022, a run of six games without a win.
Joachim Anderson recorded four tackles, four interceptions and seven clearances in this match, becoming the first Fulham player to hit those tallies in a Premier League game since Sasha Reither vs Chelsea in November 2012.
Matthew Henry
BBC Sport Journalist
Image source, Getty ImagesAfter just one win in six games, Fulham's season was threatening to peter out.
This victory ensures there is still something to play for in their final four matches of the campaign.
Marco Silva's side have tricky fixtures against Arsenal and Bournemouth to come, but afterwards they face Wolves and Newcastle – two winnable matches as they aim to pip the likes of Brentford, Everton and the Cherries to a European place.
Silva was incensed when Timothy Castagne's header was ruled out. He will argue Emiliano Martinez had as much of Sander Berge's shirt as the Norway international did of the Argentine's.
In truth, he need not have worried. Silva's side largely held Villa at arm's length in seeing out the match.
Captain Joachim Andersen, who made more tackles, interceptions and clearances than any team-mate, was superb.
The only disappointment came with match-winner Ryan Sessegnon, whose new deal takes him until the end of next season, limping off injured in the second half.
Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.
Fulham are without key man Alexander Iwobi for this one after he limped out of last week's draw against Brentford. Samuel Chukwueze came off the bench last week and starts against Aston Villa.
Raul Jimenez also starts up front while Sander Berge replaces Tom Cairney in midfield.
Fulham XI: Leno; Castagne, Andersen, Bassey, Sessegnon; Berge, Lukic; Wilson, Smith Rowe, Chukwueze; Raul Jimenez.
Subs: Lecomte (GK), Reed, Muniz, Cairney, Bobb, Kusi-Asare, King, Diop, Robinson.
There is no Amadou Onana for Villa today. We await news on that absence with the Europa League semi-final to come next week.
His absence means a return for Lamare Bogarde. Pau Torres is also back in defence and Emi Buendia starts over Ross Barkley in midfield.
Aston Villa XI: Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Pau Torres, Digne; Tielemans, Bogarde; McGinn, Rogers, Buendia; Watkins.
Subs: Bizot (GK), Lindelof, Mings, Barkley, Abraham, Sancho, Luiz, Maatsen, Bailey
There are five games in the Premier League on Saturday and BBC Sport will bring you every moment.
Fulham v Aston Villa (12:30)
Liverpool v Crystal Palace
West Ham v Everton - listen on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra
Wolves v Tottenham - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live
Arsenal v Newcastle (17:30) - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live
Kick-off times 15:00 BST unless stated
Follow all of the action and reaction here
You can also listen to today's 5 Live Premier League commentaries on most smart speakers. Just say "ask BBC Sounds to play West Ham v Everton" or "ask BBC Sounds to play Arsenal v Newcastle", for instance.
Find out more about how to listen to Premier League football on BBC Sounds
Prudent Nsengiyumva
BBC Sport journalist
Fulham welcome Aston Villa in Saturday's early kick-off (12:30 BST) at Craven Cottage, with both sides fighting for European qualification. Fulham are looking to reverse a dip in their attacking output, while Villa seek to cement their strong record in this fixture.
Fulham searching for goals
Fulham's recent home clashes with Aston Villa mark a shift from earlier seasons. After losing only two of the first 13 Premier League meetings at Craven Cottage, they have since been beaten in three of the past four.
Regardless of the opposition, goals have been hard to come by of late for the Londoners. Marco Silva's side have failed to score in four of their last five Premier League matches, as many as across their previous 25 combined. Since the start of 2026, only Fulham and Wolves have scored fewer first half goals in the league (four).
A Fulham win would move them within a point of a guaranteed European place. However, seven of their last eight league wins have come against teams starting the day in the bottom half; they have managed just one victory from their last eight against top-half opposition.
Villa close to Champions League return
Precedent show Aston Villa are well placed in the Champions League race. No side has ever failed to qualify after holding a double‑figure points advantage with five matches remaining, as they did prior to the midweek games.
Villa will head to west London having won their last six Premier League games against Fulham, a run dating back to October 2022. Villa's manager Unai Emery has won all eight of his league meetings with the Cottagers – a perfect record bettered only in longevity by Pep Guardiola against a single opponent.
One player who might especially be looking forward to Saturday is in-form striker Ollie Watkins. The Englishman has enjoyed this fixture, scoring six Premier League goals against Fulham.
Nonetheless, Villa's recent away form is mixed. They have won just once in their last seven Premier League games on the road and are winless in four. They have also conceded three or more goals in three of their last five league fixtures, as many as in the previous 38 combined.
Aston Villa have got next week's Europa League semi-final against Nottingham Forest to look forward to, but they are also trying to secure Champions League football through their league position.
So I don't see Villa boss Unai Emery making many changes for this game, but it is still a hard one to call because I am not sure what to expect from Fulham.
Looking at Fulham's recent form, they have not scored in their past two games - but that just makes me think they will definitely score on Saturday.
Villa are on a good little run of results but they have not won any of their past four league away games. I don't want to say this will be a draw, but I think I have to.
Sutton's prediction: 1-1
Fulham boss Marco Silva has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game against Aston Villa at Craven Cottage (kick-off 12:30 BST).
Here are the key lines from his news conference:
On team news, Silva said it's "really bad news" to lose Alex Iwobi to injury, but he should be back before the end of the season.
He added that Kenny Tete is "back on the grass" and Kevin is back doing individual work.
The Portuguese boss was also asked about his side's struggles in front of goal after failing to score in five of their last six games. He said last Saturday's goalless draw against Brentford "was not good to watch" because of their own performance.
He also said: "We need some inspiration, some creativity as well. We are working on it and it's not about just the front players."
Silva said there has been "no news" on the situation regarding his contract, which runs out at the end of the season.
On whether Fulham can achieve European football for next season, Silva said it will be a "big battle", and he sees every game now as a "final".
On facing Villa this weekend, Silva said: "They have been better than us. If you want to change it, and that's what we want, that's our ambition, we have to be close to our best version."
He also said an early kick-off at Craven Cottage can help his team "beat these sides".
Follow all of Friday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news
Got a question about Fulham? Get in touch here and we'll seek answers from our experts
Image source, Getty ImagesA few weeks ago, fans at Craven Cottage were dreaming of a place in Europe for next season, but the season now rests on a knife-edge with Fulham sat 12th in the table.
The Cottagers have failed to score in four of their last five Premier League matches, that's as many blanks as in their previous 25 games combined. And their struggles in attack are highlighted by their poor shot conversion rate. From their 71 shots over these five games, they have scored just three times, a success of just 4.2%.
And next up is Aston Villa, who many at Craven Cottage will be looking at as inspiration as a side that has been back in the Premier League for only a year longer than Fulham, but have played in Europe for successive seasons and are close to securing another year among the elite as they currently sit in the Champions League places.
Against sides at the upper end of the table, Fulham really struggle. They've won just one of their last nine against teams starting the day in the top half (D2, L6).
It could be a busy day for Bernd Leno as Villa are on a hot streak in front of goal with 12 goals in four games in all competitions this month.
But the German goalkeeper won't be unnerved by such stats, as one of Fulham's most consistent performers, starting each of their last 145 Premier League matches, the longest ongoing run of any player for any side.
Only five players have had longer runs of starts in Premier League history: Brad Friedel (310), Tim Howard (210), Pepe Reina (183), David James (twice, 166 and 158), and Kasper Schmeichel (149).
It could be a testing day for Leno and the hosts as they come up against a clinical, in-form Villa side, who have shown Fulham what it takes to break away from the mundane but commendable life in the Premier League's mid-table.
Fulham are looking at contingency plans in case manager Marco Silva decides to leave when his contract expires at the end of this season. (The i), external
Image source, Getty ImagesFulham have extended the contract of Ryan Sessegnon until the end of the 2026-27 campaign.
The 25-year-old told club media, FFCtv that Fulham is "the club that I've always wanted to be at" and he aims to "finish the season strongly".
Sessegnon made his professional debut for Fulham aged 16 years and 81 days in 2016 in the Championship, but left Craven Cottage to join Tottenham Hotspur in 2019.
After a four-year hiatus from Fulham, the academy graduate became Marco Silva's first signing as manager at the west London club in 2024.
Throughout Sessegnon's career at Fulham, the full-back has 50-plus goal involvements for and has featured in 26 of the 33 Premier League games this season.
Drew Heatley
Fan writer
Image source, Getty ImagesBeware of jealousy, they say.
But I find it hard not to be when I look at clubs of a similar size, in similar situations, handling it far better than us.
Marco Silva's reluctance to sign a new contract has hampered our season. It is something that is becoming increasingly difficult to argue against.
It becomes more frustrating when you look at Bournemouth, who continued to perform despite uncertainty surrounding boss Andoni Iraola, even before he took the decision to inform the club of his intention to leave in the summer.
The players' ability to shut out the noise, coupled with the manager's move to bring certainty to the situation, respecting fans and the club alike - while still helping the side succeed - are in contrast to the confusion, mystery and inertia surrounding our Portuguese coach's future.
It has shown on the pitch. We have failed to score a goal in five of our last six games and once again look likely to fizzle out at the most crucial part of the campaign, when so much remains on the table.
The drab stalemate at Brentford encapsulated this perfectly. The players - and manager - appeared to be going through the motions. We are not in trouble, but we are not showing any ambition to go further either.
It all leads me to wonder whether it is best to just part ways. But I am wary of being careful what I wish for. You only have to look across London at West Ham for an example of the dangers of swapping a manager who delivers mid-table security for a fresh start - and David Moyes even delivered a trophy for the Hammers.
Ultimately, this situation needs to be resolved as soon as possible. It is not too late to save the rest of the season; a new deal, or a decision to part amicably, could be the catalyst for a run of form in these final five games that sees us push past the ceiling that we have been knocking against for the past three years.
Then the green eyes of envy would be firmly locked on SW6.
Find more from Drew Heatley at Fulhamish, external
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We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's Premier League game between Brentford and Fulham.
Here are some of your comments:
Brentford fans
Trevor: We looked tired as we have for weeks, injuries and squad depth catching up with us now. Europe can wait until we have a squad that can cope with the extra games. Schade should have been subbed not sure why he stayed on.
Sam: How we did not score I will never know. Another exasperating afternoon to be frank. We needed some life at some points, an extra attacking threat, so I don't understand why no subs were made. We are in need of a win, as I for one am feeling the pressure of the sides around us.
Robert: Lack of imagination to push the result. Schade worked hard but Donovan would have been a greater threat. We would have taken survival this season so for the love of God Keith take some risks.
Kev: Concerned re lack of wins, although I get it's also an unbeaten run. Should have had six more points from last three home games. We may regret this as some very tough away fixtures coming up.
Fulham fans
Brian: That was a real hard watch. I try to be positive but honestly we are in trouble if we take these lacklustre displays into next season. So many balls given away and the final ball? I felt for Muniz, fighting just to play, not sure his team-mates knew he was on the field! Let's just move on...
Robbie: We looked totally disjointed and could not keep hold of the ball despite having room to make a pass. Josh King looked lethargic and I feel like he's lost his mojo, I'm not sure he feels trusted by Marco to play with the freedom that makes him such a great prospect.
Louis: Defensively great. The attack and build-up play is absolutely awful, zero threat all game with zero shots on target to back it up. Tactics need to change and so does the mentality.
Joel: Another lethargic, lacklustre performance from Marco Silva's Fulham. It's time to go.
Pundits Ashley Williams and Joe Hart join host Gabby Logan to bring you the action and talking points from Saturday's Premier League fixtures.
And listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:
