Fulham boss Marco Silva makes first-team request ahead of Preston North End clash

Fulham look to be on their way up to the Premier League this season – and could secure a promotion to the top flight via a victory over Preston North End on Tuesday night.

Ahead of the game – which is no doubt a crunch clash for the Cottagers – Marco Silva has now issued a request to his first-team squad, telling the club’s official website that he wants the team to not get caught up in their emotions and ‘express themselves’ in order to secure the win.

The Cottagers have stormed to the top of the Championship table and with the goals of Aleksandar Mitrovic to help them along the way, they have looked near impossible to stop at times during the campaign.

Now, an automatic promotion is in sight and the title itself could be next. A win over North End would do it – and Marco Silva doesn’t want the nerves to hit home at this crucial part of the season.

The side missed the chance to go up at the weekend, with relegated Derby surprising many with a victory over the league-leaders. It has meant that the wait has gone on to secure passage back into the Premier League, but it might not be too long to wait if they can get one over on North End.

PNE won’t be an easy team to beat either though, with the club looking much brighter under Ryan Lowe and able to surge up the table and towards the top half. Marco Silva will want the job done sooner rather than later though and told the club’s official website: “It’s up to us to put full focus on the game, forget the emotional part of the game, forget what can happen at the end of the match, just play the football match.

“And we have to express ourselves because if we’ve expressed ourselves so well during the season, it doesn’t make sense in the last few games if we’re nervous or unsure