Getty
Following one disappointing season in the Premier League, Fulham resume life in the EFL Championship on Saturday when they begin their 2019-20 campaign against newly promoted Barnsley at Oakwell.
In the United States, the match starts at 10 a.m. ET. It won’t be televised on regular TV in the US, but you can watch the match via ESPN+, the digital streaming service from ESPN that has exclusive coverage of multiple Championship matches per week, other live sports, all the 30-for-30 documentaries, and additional original content all for $4.99 per month.
You can sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then watch Barnsley vs Fulham live on your computer via ESPN.com, or on your phone (Android and iPhone compatible), tablet, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, or other streaming device via the ESPN app.
Barnsley vs Fulham Preview
In 2018-19, Barnsley took second place in League One with 91 points to return to the England’s second tier, where they’re spent more seasons than any other club.
“I think the speed is higher than in League One and the quality from every player. We need a good team performance,” head coach Daniel Stendel said, according to The Yorkshire Post.
“I do not think we have the best players in this league. I think we have a lot of good players for League One, but without the experience in the Championship.
“But we have very good players who can improve, but not the best players.
“Without the experience, it is a trickier task to improve from this point. But for us, it is important we improve the player and have a very good team. The main thing to stay in this league is to improve on the pitch and in games.
“We need the same support like last year, which went so well for us and it is so important that we have amazing support, especially for the young players.
“It is very difficult for every team to play against us as we are a unit and not only 11 players on the pitch, but the squad and staff. All supporters understand.”
Last season, Stendel’s first with the club, Barnsley surrendered a league-low 39 goals and tallied 80 of their own. Forwards Kieffer Moore and Cauley Woodrow scored 17 and 16, respectively, in league play.
Fulham lost 14 of their final 18 Premier League matches a season ago to finish 19th and fall to the EFL Championship.
They conceded a ghastly 81 goals, the most in the Premier League, and scored just 34, better than only last-place Huddersfield Town. In February, the club replaced manager Claudio Ranieri with caretaker Scott Parker, whom they made the official head coach this offseason.
Forward Aleksandar Mitrović, who scored a team-high 11 goals in the EPL last year, opted to remain in South West London despite overtures from other clubs.
“My ambition in football is to feel passion and play with all my heart every game,” the 24-year-old said, according to The Sun.
“And I’ve found my love and happiness here. I’ve everything I want — from respect from the club, the way they treat me and the love the fans, players and staff give me.
“Every time I walk on to the Craven Cottage pitch, I feel happy.
“It’s a fantastic old stadium that has old English soul with the fans so close to the pitch creating such a great atmosphere with so much passion.”