Fulham vs Southampton: Carabao Cup – Preview and Predictions

Southampton begin their Carabao Cup campaign on Tuesday evening with a trip to face Fulham at Craven Cottage.

After spending last season together in the Premier League, the two sides now sit a division apart following Fulham’s relegation in May.

In their two meetings in 2018/19, there was a win apiece; the Cottagers 3-2 victors in South London and the Saints 2-0 winners at St Mary’s.

With a strong squad still at their disposal, Fulham have made a decent start to this season with three wins and two losses in the Championship so far.

Saints took a while to get going after 3-0 and 2-1 losses to Burnley and Liverpool respectively, but put in a good showing to win 2-0 at Brighton on Saturday.

Team News

Changes may be made by both Scott Parker and Ralph Hasenhuttl for this one, but they will also be wary of the momentum that a cup win can bring.

Harrison Reed – on-loan at Fulham from Saints – won’t be eligible to play against his parent club unless given special permission.

The likes of Kevin McDonald, Bobby Reid, Maxime Le Marchand and Cyrus Christie were on Scott Parker’s bench at the weekend and may be given some game time here.

For Saints, Sofiane Boufal and Moussa Djenepo may be given a full game to show their worth after highly impressive cameos against Brighton.

Alex McCarthy could be given a chance in goal, whilst Cedric, Maya Yoshida and Stuart Armstrong may also be given a chance to impress.

More from Saints Marching

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• Grading the Southampton Transfer Window Part 1: Departures
• It’s time to talk about Gavin Bazunu
• Rain clouds on the horizon? Southampton beat Plymouth Argyle
• A lament for Southampton legend James Ward-Prowse

Key talking points

After a lift in performances so far under Ralph Hasenhuttl, it is expected that Saints will secure safety in the Premier League comfortably this time around.

Therefore, they can have no excuses when it comes to having a good go at the cups this season.

Hasenhuttl has a competitive squad available to him now and there will be players itching for chances to show what they can do, so this can only help their chances tomorrow evening.

Fulham’s main concern will be getting back into the Premier League at the first time of asking. A number of important players have stuck around to help them back to the top-flight.

Among these players are first-team regulars Stefan Johansen, Tim Ream and Denis Odoi, who all signed new contracts with the club on Friday.

Fulham squad

Goalkeepers: Marcus Bettinelli, Marek Rodak, Fabricio Agosto Ramirez

Defenders: Denis Odoi, Alfie Mawson, Tim Ream, Maxime Le Marchand, Cyrus Christie, Joe Bryan, Steven Sessegnon

Midfielders: Kevin McDonald, Neeskens Kebano, Stefan Johansen, Tom Cairney, Harry Arter, Harrison Reed (ineligible), Josh Onomah, Ibrahima Cisse

Forwards: Aleksandar Mitrovic, Floyd Ayite, Bobby Reid, Ivan Cavaleiro, Anthony Knockaert, Aboubakar Kamara

Saints squad

Goalkeepers: Angus Gunn, Alex McCarthy, Harry Lewis

Defenders: Cedric, Maya Yoshida, Jannik Vestergaard, Jack Stephens, Wesley Hoedt, Ryan Bertrand, Jake Vokins, Jan Bednarek, Kevin Danso, Yan Valery

Midfielders: Oriol Romeu, James Ward-Prowse, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Stuart Armstrong, Will Smallbone, Callum Slattery

Forwards: Shane Long, Che Adams, Michael Obafemi, Danny Ings, Nathan Redmond, Sofiane Boufal, Dan N’Lundulu

Score prediction: Fulham 1-2 Saints