Fulham vs Watford prediction, odds and betting offer
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Fulham is setting aside their Premier League commitments as they prepare to host Championship side Watford at Craven Cottage for an FA Cup third-round clash on Thursday night. This marks the first encounter between the two teams since April 2019, when Watford claimed a decisive 4-1 victory at Vicarage Road in a top-flight match.
Fulham comes into this fixture on the back of an impressive eight-game unbeaten streak in the Premier League. However, six of these matches have ended in draws, including their recent 2-2 stalemate with Ipswich Town last Sunday. Fulham has drawn nine times this season, second only to Brighton & Hove Albion's ten draws. Raul Jimenez played a crucial role against Ipswich, converting two second-half penalties to help Fulham come from behind twice and avoid defeat.
Manager Marco Silva expressed his displeasure after the Ipswich match, criticising referee Darren Bond for not meeting Premier League standards, particularly after Ipswich's Leif Davis escaped a red card for a last-man foul. Despite these frustrations, Fulham holds ninth place in the league standings, just six points shy of the top four.
Before turning their focus back to promising league fixtures against West Ham United and Leicester City, Fulham aims to advance past the third round of the FA Cup for the sixth consecutive season. Historically, they've been successful in 13 of their last 16 third-round ties and have won each of their last four FA Cup matches against lower-league teams. However, their recent record against Watford is less encouraging, having failed to win any of their last six competitive meetings (three draws, three losses), conceding 14 goals along the way.
