Fulham vs. Southampton: Preview and predictions
By Marc Walker
Southampton begin their 2017/18 FA Cup campaign this weekend with a trip to face Fulham at Craven Cottage.
A run of dreadful results, including a 2-1 loss to Crystal Palace on Tuesday, has seen the Saints slip perilously close to the Premier League relegation zone and they currently sit outside it by goal difference alone.
Saturday’s opponents Fulham are on a four match unbeaten run which has included three wins. They find themselves in a strong position in the Championship in 10th place, and just four points outside the play-off places.
Last time the two sides met, Southampton ran out 3-0 winners at Craven Cottage in the 2013/14 season. A fantastic attacking display from the Saints produced goals from Adam Lallana, Rickie Lambert and Jay Rodriguez in a season where they would finish eighth in the Premier League, but Fulham would be relegated come May.
Just three players – Maya Yoshida, Steven Davis and James Ward-Prowse – remain at St. Mary’s from the squad that traveled to London that day after player sales year upon year.
Both clubs have seen fairly contrasting seasons since then with Fulham seeing finishes of 20th, 17th and 6th in the second tier, whilst Southampton managed 7th, 6th and 8th in the Premier League.
Both sides have poor recent records in the FA Cup however, with neither team reaching past the Fifth Round during the past five campaigns. Southampton’s famous win of the FA Cup in 1976 does trump Fulham’s best run in the competition when they finished as runners-up a year previous in 1975.
Fulham have no fresh injury concerns ahead of Saturday’s fixture, and will have a full strength squad to choose from. This includes highly-rated winger Ryan Sessegnon, who is rumoured to be a transfer target of many Premier League sides.
Southampton will be without full-backs Cedric Soares and Jeremy Pied for the trip to London. Centre-back Wesley Hoedt is also out after dizzy spells and concussion following the Manchester United game. Striker Charlie Austin also remains sidelined.
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Why Fulham will win
Fulham could add to the number of teams that have benefited from Southampton’s crippling lack of form and confidence. A number of teams have been able to bide their time in games against Saints and cut through an increasingly porous defence when attacking.
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Home advantage also means that the London-based club will be able to have the backing of a large amount of their fans and a tough atmosphere for away teams to face. That coupled with youth, creativity and skill in their side through players like Ryan Sessegnon, Tom Cairney and Stefan Johansen could work in their favour.
Why Southampton will win
Although recent results don’t show this, the Saints have a squad full of Premier League quality and players that can win games on a good day. This match could provide a few fringe players with opportunities to prove their worth, and the whole squad a chance to improve their form and confidence going forward.
With January signings supposedly imminent on the south coast, players will also be playing for their future places in the team. A cup run could be the start of an improved second-half of the season, and would be something to excite the fans.
Team predictions
Fulham
Goalkeeper: Marcus Bettinelli
Defenders: Ryan Fredericks, Denis Odoi, Tim Ream, Ryan Sessegnon
Midfielders: Tom Cairney, Oliver Norwood, Stefan Johansen
Forwards: Sheyi Ojo, Floyd Ayite, Aboubakar Kamara
Southampton
Goalkeeper: Alex McCarthy
Defenders: Jack Stephens, Jan Bednarek, Maya Yoshida, Sam McQueen
Midfielders: James Ward-Prowse, Mario Lemina, Oriol Romeu, Nathan Redmond, Dusan Tadic
Forwards: Manolo Gabbiadini