Fulham will be hoping to avoid an upset when they host Rotherham United in an FA Cup third round fixture on Friday. Rotherham are currently struggling at the foot of the Championship standings and should be no match for the Cottagers, who have a good record at home.
Fulham will head into Friday’s clash with plenty of confidence after claiming a 2-1 victory over Arsenal in a Premier League fixture last Sunday. They fought back from a goal down with efforts in each half from Raul Jimenez and Bobby De Cordova Reid earning them the win.
Manager Marco Silva will be pleased with Fulham’s performance as they showed great character and fight to come from behind, especially given their struggles in recent weeks. The Cottagers had lost their previous two matches but looked confident against the Gunners.
The win over Arsenal also highlights a solid home record for Fulham, who have won four of their last five fixtures at Craven Cottage. Among their results in that run are a couple of 5-0 victories over Nottingham Forest and West Ham.
While lower league teams generally hope for a Cinderella run in the FA Cup, this year’s tournament might be an unwanted distraction for Rotherham United. Rooted to the foot of the Championship standings, they are currently in a fight for survival at the moment.
Things have been so rough for Rotherham United that they travel to Craven Cottage with just one win from their last 14 matches. However, they did play out a 2-2 draw at Blackburn Rovers in a New Year’s Day Championship fixture with Sean Morrison and Tom Eaves getting their goals.
Rotherham United may have earned an away draw last time out but their record on the road has been abysmal all season. They are winless on their travels so far, suffering 11 defeats from 14 away matches across all competitions.
How the bookies view it
Fulham have been installed as overwhelming favourites with a home win priced at 1/5 by bet365. An unlikely victory for Rotherham United is valued at 14/1 by Coral while a draw is set at odds of 6/1 by Paddy Power.
Head to head
Fulham have never lost to Rotherham United, claiming six wins and two draws from eight previous matches. However the last meeting was a Championship fixture back in 2017 which ended in a 1-0 victory for the Cottagers.
Players to watch
Having rediscovered his scoring touch in recent weeks, Raul Jimenez will be the one to watch for Fulham on Friday. The striker has four goals in his last four matches and is priced at 21/20 by bet365 to carry that scoring form into the FA Cup.
Fulham have shown some defensive solidity in their recent home matches and will be keen to build on the shutouts against Nottingham Forest and West Ham. Tosin Adarabioyo will be the one to watch at the back and can lead the Cottagers to a clean sheet at 5/6 with bet365.
Anything else catch the eye?
Given Fulham’s recent defensive showings at Craven Cottage, a win to nil could be considered at 21/20 with BetVictor. The Cottagers will be keen to channel the one-sided results over Forest and West Ham and could be backed in the -2 handicap market at 8/5 with Paddy Power.
Fulham have scored in both halves in four of their last five home matches and could be set for a repeat at 8/11 with Coral. They could also be backed to win both halves at 11/8 with Paddy Power.
This FA Cup match between Fulham and Rotherham United will be played on Jan 5, 2024 and kick off at 19:30. Check below for our tipsters best Fulham vs Rotherham United prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
