Fulham vs Watford Prediction: Cottagers to limp over the line

Premier League form side Fulham take on Championship outfit Watford in a tasty FA Cup Third Round tie at Craven Cottage on Thursday night (19:45).

Marco Silva's men may have ambitions of a Wembley run this season but Watford will be desperate to end a three-game losing streak and cause a minor upset. Below you can find my Fulham vs Watford predictions.

Team News

Marco Silva is expected to make a number of changes to the Fulham side with the likes of Jorge Cuenca, Ryan Sessegnon and Rodrigo Muniz poised for rare starts.

Watford boss Tom Cleverley has made it clear fringe players will also appear for the Hornets, among them Pierre Dwomoh, Mamadou Doumbia and Antonio Tikvic.

Fulham vs Watford odds

Fulham, going well in ninth place in the Premier League, are a 2/7 chance, while Watford, looking to bounce back from three straight Championship defeats, are 17/2.

Goals are expected with over 2.5 goals rated a 4/7 chance while it's 1/1 that both teams score.

Fulham win & under 3.5 goals @ 21/20

Fulham are going well and are strong at home; Watford are not going well and are poor away. And then there's the small matter of a division between the sides as they prepare to square up at Craven Cottage.

However, while the Premier League side in Fulham look to have all the aces, an expected reshuffle might see a scrappy game unfold against a Hornets' team who would take a penalty shootout if it was offered to them. (Remember, the game will be settled on the night, via extra-time and penalties if required).

Fulham have lost only one of their last 12, but they have also drawn six of their last eight. Watford have lost four of their last five but three of them by narrow 2-1 scorelines.

Cleverley admits his side are going through a sticky patch and, listening to his views on this tie, you get a sense this Thursday night hop into the capital is way down his list of priorities.

Fulham, in contrast, ought to be thinking about a good FA Cup run and should win this, although with a new look starting XI it could be scrappy and low-scoring.

Booking Points Over 32.5 @ 5/6

Fulham are averaging 2.5 cards per game and Watford 2.3 so on those grounds alone there's a fair case for believing this FA Cup tie will produce 35, 40 or even more points. (For this market, yellows are awarded 10 points, a red 25).

Whatever the respective views of both managers, the players should be up for a cup fight and it is worth noting that only four teams in the Championship have commited more fouls than Watford.

Not all fouls lead to cautions, of course, but referee Matt Donohue looks like an official who is quite happy to reach into his pocket. He has shown 57 yellows and four reds this season, averaging 44.7 booking points per game.

Offers

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