Fulham vs Southampton
FA Cup, KO:
12:00 ,
Craven Cottage
Craven Cottage hosts the first of Sunday’s FA Cup fifth round ties as Fulham take on Southampton.
Marco Silva’s men have plotted their path to the fifth round by seeing off Championship opposition in each of the previous two rounds, defeating both Middlesbrough and Stoke.
However, the Whites come into this clash following a 1-0 home defeat to West Ham on Wednesday night, in a game that brought up both of my recommended bets.
That setback, combined with results elsewhere, has seen Fulham slip to 10th in the Premier League standings.
Southampton, meanwhile, have secured their place at this stage of the competition by seeing off both Doncaster and Leicester.
The Saints will enter this tie in high spirits as they are currently riding an eight-match unbeaten run in the English Championship, with their most recent 3-1 victory away at Sheffield Wednesday lifting them to 7th in the table.
How the bookies view it: Fulham firm favourites
The bookmakers’ odds suggest that there will be no cup upset at Craven Cottage on Sunday, with Fulham priced up as firm 4/7 favourites with bet365.
Southampton are as big as 5/1 at bet365 to spring a shock within 90 minutes, while a draw in regulation time is also seen as unlikely at 3/1 with the same bookmaker.
Head to head: History against the hosts
Historically, Southampton hold a slight edge over Fulham across their previous 81 meetings, winning 30 games to Fulham’s 25, with 26 matches ending in a draw. However, it is worth noting that Fulham have avoided defeat in each of their previous four meetings with Southampton, taking top honours from three of those contests.
Players to watch: Downes’ card marked?
Having racked up 11 yellow cards across his 31 appearances in all competitions this season, Flynn Downes looks like a prime candidate to go into the referee’s notebook on Sunday at 21/10 on bet365.
Raul Jimenez has been fouled at least twice in each of Fulham’s last three Premier League home games, making a repeat here a value option at 5/4 on bet365.
Predicted line-ups
Harry Wilson, Fulham’s leading scorer, was sidelined against West Ham on Wednesday with an ankle issue, leaving his participation against Southampton on Sunday uncertain. Brazilian winger Kevin will definitely be absent for the hosts.
Southampton, meanwhile, will be without the services of injured trio Jay Robinson, Mads Roerslev and Welington.
Fulham: Leno; Tete, Andersen, Bassey, Sessegnon; Berge, Iwobi; Chukwueze, Smith Rowe, Bobb; Jimenez
Southampton: Peretz; Bree, Harwood-Bellis, Stephens, Manning; Downes, Jander; Matsuki, Azaz, Scienza; Stewart
Anything else catch the eye?
Given their strong corner statistics this season, Southampton look well placed to earn at least four corners at Craven Cottage on Sunday afternoon at 4/5 with bet365.
The Saints rank among the top teams for flag kicks in the English Championship this term, averaging 5.69 per game.
Further encouragement comes from the fact that Fulham are conceding a league-high 5.93 corners per home game in the Premier League this season.
Fulham vs Southampton Betting Tips & Predictions
Over 3.5 Southampton Corners
4/5
Bet365
Raul Jimenez To Be Fouled 2+ Times
5/4
Bet365
Flynn Downes To Be Carded
21/10
Bet365
Further Reading