Prediction: Fulham vs Stoke

21st January 2011

Fulham extended the good run of results as they brought one point from DW Stadium with the Cottagers now looking to win their third straight home game and thus further escape the danger zone. After beating Bolton at home, Stoke qualified for the FA Cup forth round by eliminating Cardiff, meaning the Potters enter the game high on confidence.

Fulham needed a lot of time to get accustomed to life under Mark Hughes as the Cottagers had major problems in the first part of the season, although the injuries to star players like Zamora and Murphy certainly did not help. Nonetheless, Fulham have since shown a massive improvement, and it was the victory at Britannia Stadium some three weeks ago that kick-started their season. The Cottagers did lose the very next game to Tottenham, but then beat West Brom and Peterborough at home before holding on to a draw at Wigan, and everything suggests their good run is going to continue. Andy Johnson finally scored his first goal of the season after struggling with various injuries this term and he is now set to start against Stoke. David Stockdale again deputizes for Mark Schwarzer, who is on international duty, but that is hardly a bad thing as Fulham have yet to lose a game this term with Stockdale between the sticks.

Stoke are enjoying another very successful season under Tony Pulis and they are fighting for the first top half finish after coming 12th and 11th over the last two seasons. The Potters have already grown accustomed to the Premiership football and their performances are constantly improving, especially on the travels. After losing six out of first seven away games, the Potters brought seven points from last four travels, and they are certainly hoping to get something from Craven Cottage as well. New signing from Aston Villa, John Carew is likely to go straight into the starting line-up, with FA Cup hero Jon Walters dropping to the bench. Danny Higginbotham will probably miss out, just like Eidur Gudjohnsen and Mamadou Sidibe.

Conclusion

This game does look too close to call, but I still see Fulham as favourites here. The Cottagers have kick-started their season with a couple of impressive performances and with injured players slowly returning to the side, they are expected to keep the momentum going. Stoke are doing well at the moment but they couldn’t beat Fulham at home, so it is unlikely they will fare much better at Craven Cottage.

Verdict: Home win Fulham (1)

Best Odds: 5/4

Bookmaker: William Hill