Fulham v Wolves: Premier League – live

If you’re already getting 10 points deducted, getting them deducted this season is an absolute touch – which, on the face of things, has little to do with tonight’s match, given Everton played yesterday. But bear with me: the reason Everton have had a right result is that the three promoted clubs – Burnley, Sheffield United, Luton – look doomed, and a quick look at the Championship table shows clubs with the means to stay up – Leicester and Leeds – well-placed to make an immediate Premier League return. Maintaining status next term will be a far harder task than it is this.

So tonight’s teams should also be feeling lucky (punk). Fulham were terrific in claiming 10th spot last term but have regressed to the mean since and, though they sit seven points off the bottom three, now team in the league has scored fewer and they’ve taken just one point from the last 12, kept out of more serious trouble only by Everton’s situation and the poverty of the aforedissed promoted clubs.

Wolves, meanwhile, have started pretty well under Gary O’Neil, beating Manchester City and, most recently, Spurs, with two injury-time goals. But they’re still struggling to score and, if the teams below them improve, they could quickly slip down the table – though again, probably not below Burnley, Sheffield United and Luton.

And the direct matchup looks a goodun. Both teams compete with proper intensity and, with Raúl Jiménez making his first appearance against Wolves, we’re not lacking for narrative and subplot. But with João Palhinha suspended, they may not have the protection and possession to which they’re used.

But Wolves under O’Neil are far more dynamic than previously, playing with conviction and invention. In particular, the running power of Mario Lemina, Hwang Hee-chan and Matheus Cunha is a problem, and the confidence they’ll have garnered from those two big wins – one telling them they can best the best, the other that they can perform miracles – makes them a difficult proposition tonight.

Real talk, at the end of the season, this game probably won’t matter that much. But though neither team can afford to become complacent, both know that their best level is a decent level, and the freedom of knowing what’s below should help them hit it more often – hopefully starting tonight.

Kick-off: 8pm GMT