Fulham will be aiming to snap out of a mini slump as they host Championship side Sunderland in an FA Cup fourth round clash.
Fulham will welcome the distraction of the FA Cup having stumbled slightly in recent weeks. Marco Silva’s men have lost their last two matches, suffering 1-0 Premier League defeats to Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur.
Both results ended a run of five straight wins across all competitions for Fulham, who had been in fine form. Among the results in that run is a 2-0 victory at Championship side Hull City in the previous round of the FA Cup.
Fulham will be keen to reclaim that form and will be relying on their record at Craven Cottage having recently seen off Southampton and Chelsea at home prior to the defeat against Spurs. However, defending remains a problem as they are without a clean sheets in their last five home matches.
Sunderland were given a stern test in the previous round of the FA Cup as they fought back from a goal down to earn a 2-1 victory over League One side Shrewsbury Town. Having gone behind eight minutes from time, they needed quick-fire injury time goals from Ross Stewart and Luke O’Nien to secure the turnaround.
The Black Cats will head into Saturday’s clash with some confidence after claiming a 2-0 victory over in-form Middlesbrough in their previous Championship fixture. The result means Tony Mowbray’s men have now suffered just one defeat in their last seven matches across all competitions.
That good form also extends to Sunderland’s away matches as they are unbeaten in their last seven matches on the road. However, like Fulham, they are also vulnerable at the back, keeping just two clean sheets in their last 10 away matches.
How the bookies view it
The bookies have Fulham as overwhelming favourites with a home win priced at 11/20 by Unibet. A victory for Sunderland is valued at 11/2 by bet365 while Paddy Power is offering odds of 7/2 for a draw.
Head to head
Sunderland have a 14-12 advantage with 12 draws from 38 previous matches against Sunderland. The Cottagers also claimed a 2-1 victory in the last meeting between both teams back in 2018 with Aleksandar Mitrovic getting one of the goals.
Players to watch
Having limped off on Monday against Tottenham Hotspur, Fulham are unlikely to risk Aleksandar Mitrovic on Saturday. Willian has impressed lately and could be backed score for the cottagers at 12/5 with bet356.
Ross Stewart was on target in the previous round and could be worth keeping an eye on for Sunderland. The striker also has nine goals in his last 10 matches across all competitions and could be backed to maintain that scoring run at 5/2 with bet365.
Anything else catch the eye?
Both teams were on target in their last meeting and given the attacking quality on display, a similar outcome is priced at 3/4 with bet365. There were over 2.5 goals in the last meeting and a repeat is valued at 8/13 by Unibet, who are also offering 17/10 for over 3.5 goals.
Fulham have scored in both halves in two of their last three home matches and Saturday’s clashes could be set for a similar pattern at 13/10 with Unibet. Given the minimal odds for a straight victory for the Cottagers, a win and over 2.5 goals can be considered at 11/10 with bet365.
This FA Cup match between Fulham and Sunderland will be played on Jan 28, 2023 and kick off at 15:00. Check below for our tipsters best Fulham vs Sunderland prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
