Fulham were seconds away from pulling off a memorable win against Italian giants Roma a fortnight ago at Craven Cottage and will head to the Eternal City in a confident mood.

The Cottagers took the lead through commanding Norwegian centre-back Brede Hangeland, only for Marco Andreolli to strike deep into injury-time and break Fulham hearts.

Roy Hodsgon and his side have dealt admirably with a congested fixture list, juggling the demands of Europe with their Premier League priorities in impressive fashion.

Liverpool were the latest team to be dispatched by the Hodgson and his men at the weekend, with the Londoners triumphing in a 3-1 victory, much to the delight of the home fans who sang 'We want four!'

Fulham remain the only unbeaten side in Group E and have an excellent chance of qualification in a close group where they remain second, a point behind Swiss side Basle and one in front of the Giallorossi opponents.

Hodgson's side are now unbeaten in six and remain five points off fifth spot in the league with a game in hand.

While the West Lond outfit's stock continues to rise under Hodgson, Roma are a team in decline and are currently languishing in 14th place in Serie A amid protests from disgruntled fans.

Former Chelsea boss Claudio Ranieri is under severe pressure to improve results after just one win in five.

A victory for Fulham will leave them within touching distance of the knockout stages and Clint Dempsey believes is side have a chance at the Stadio Olimpico against a poor Roma side.

"Obviously we felt we should have got points from the home game but right now we’re on a good run of form and we want to continue that and do well in the group," Dempsey told the club's official website.

"We’re confident at the moment and right now we’re just enjoying our football.

"The main focus is the league but you don’t work so hard to get into a competition - so we’ll work hard and see how far we can go."

Team News:

Ranieri will be without his influential captain Francesco Totti who is sidelined with a knee injury.

Defenders Juan and Nicolas Burdisso are set to miss out, while Mirko Vucinic should pass a late fitness test to partner former Arsenal striker Julio Baptista in attack.

Fulham trio Danny Murphy, Damien Duff and Andrew Johnson are still short of full fitness and have not travelled to Italy.

Midfield powerhouse Dickson Etuhu should play after recovering from a knee injury.

Probable Starting XIs (*Star man):

Roma (4-2-3-1): Doni; Motta, Andreolli, Mexes, Riise; De Rossi*, Pizarro; Menez. Perrotta, Vucinic; Baptista

Fulham (4-4-2): Schwarzer; Pantsil, Hughes, Hangeland, Koncheskyl; Gera, Greening, Etuhu, Dempsey; Zamora*, Nevland.

ExtraFootie Prediction: Roma 1 - 1 Fulham - The captainless sides played out a 1-1 draw two weeks and the result should be similar this time around. Fulham outplayed their illustrious opponents at the Cottage, but Roma should be better at home and have the experience to deal with the threat of Hodgson’s side.

Fancy a flutter? You can back a 1-0 Fulham win at 12/1 or Bobby Zamora to open the scoring at 12/1.