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Zamora back to bolster Cottagers Fulham will welcome back striker Bobby Zamora from a virus for the clash against Burnley at Craven Cottage.

Simon Davies (ankle) also returns but South African midfielder Kagisho Dikgacoi has been ruled out for up to six weeks because of ankle ligament damage.

Striker Andrew Johnson - recovering from knee surgery - is out for the rest of the season, while Paul Konchesky (foot), Clint Dempsey and John Pantsil (both knee) are all still sidelined.

The Cottagers made hard work of seeing off the challenge of bottom club Portsmouth last week, when the visitors dominated for long spells before eventually being beaten by a late goal from Jonathan Greening.

Fulham had lost five successive Barclays Premier League games before the victory over Pompey, and picked up another point following a goalless draw at Bolton.

Hodgson, though, knows full well his team must not be complacent against the Clarets, despite their dreadful away record of 11 defeats and one draw.

"On paper, it looks just like the Portsmouth game - it is one which Fulham should comfortably win, but it certainly won't be like that," said Hodgson. "If ever we needed a reminder, we only have to cast our minds back a week ago.

"Portsmouth came and played very well, and we were fortunate to get away with three points, and Portsmouth were unlucky to go away with nothing. That should be uppermost in our mind." Stephen Jordan is pushing to be in contention for Burnley.

Jordan has been out with a hamstring strain for two weeks but manager Brian Laws confirmed that the defender is nearing a comeback.

Chris McCann's recovery from a knee injury is progressing well but the match at Craven Cottage is too soon for him, while Graham Alexander (calf) and Steven Caldwell (groin) remain sidelined.

Brian Laws believes the game is the perfect opportunity for them to bring their long wait for an away win in the Premier League to an end.

The Clarets beat West Ham 2-1 on Saturday in a typically dynamic performance at Turf Moor to give Laws his first win since being appointed manager last month.

Laws is eager to see his players sustain the momentum and, with Fulham having won only once in eight league games, he feels Craven Cottage could be the ideal place for the Clarets to finally overcome their travel sickness.

"We haven't won away all season so that is our objective, to change that mentality, and there is no better one (for that) than against Fulham," Laws said.

"They are not playing as well as they would like, I know that and I know (Fulham boss) Roy Hodgson would say the same thing.

Fulham vs Burnley

Last modified 23:23 09/02/10

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David Elm left travel-sick Burnley looking like relegation fodder who can’t see the wood for the trees.

Riddled with a disease as virulent as the Clarets’ anaemic away from, it had to be a man called Elm who extended their wretched spoils to just one point from a possible 39 when they venture beyond their front doorstep at Turf Moor.

Elm, a Scandinavian totem who travels to training by rail every day, decorated his full home debut with a poacher’s goal as Burnley went barking up the wrong tree again.

At £550,000, Fulham paid less for Elm than it allegedly takes for an England captain to buy a kiss-and-tell lover’s silence.

But if his partnership with Bobby Zamora continues to sprout as easily as the green shoots of promise evident at Craven Cottage last night, he will soon e a household name in the capital from Gospel Oak to Forest Gate.

Poor Clarets boss Brian Laws takes his squad to Portugal today for a sunshine break in the hope they will recover their wanderlust. They were so poor last night that he will be lucky if half of his players remember their passports.

Unlike celebrity Burnley fan Alastair Campbell, who was tongue-tied and close to tears on TV last weekend, at least Laws was not completely lost for words after Fulham’s routine stroll by the Thames towpath.

But on the evidence of this desultory display, his predecessor Owen Coyle deserted a sinking ship last month, and Laws said: “That performance was not up to the standard we set against West Ham on Saturday, but it didn’t help that the first two goals were offside.

“We need all the help we can get away from home, and when you’re having a difficult time you rely on the referee and linesmen to get the important decisions right.

“But we’ve got to pick ourselves up, dust ourselves down and start picking up points away from home, so there’s no point in crying about it. We still have a fantastic opportunity to stay in the Premier League, but we can’t rely on our home form alone to do it - I think pretty soon the whole nation will want us to win away from home.”

After a sluggish start, when pulse rates were comparable with those in a chapel of rest, Fulham seized the initiative with two goals in eight minutes midway through the first half.

Elm’s superb cushioned header from Nicky Shorey’s deep cross set up Danny Muphy to sweep home his sixth goal of the season, and when Burnley keeper Brian Jensen could only shovel Zamora’s shot across the six-yard box, Elm pounced on the rebound.

Burnley’s magnificent band of travelling fans never stopped singing, even though their team gave them little to shout about, and when Jensen went down in instalments, too late to reach Zamora’s tame free-kick 10 minutes after the break, the Clarets had long been reduced to cheap plonk.

Fulham boss Roy Hodgson said: “Elm will be encouraged by his goal and the marvellous way he set up the first one for Danny.

“David is probably the least famous of three brothers who played for the same club in Sweden, and I believe Everton were close to signing one of them, Rasmus, before he went to AZ Alkmaar in Holland.

“He has been a revelation because, when he joined us, we had quite a few forwards available, but he has moved up the pecking order quickly and he deserves to be there.

“I feel a bit sorry for Burnley - we were excellent from back to front tonight and we would have been a tough nut to crack for any team.”