Fulham face Watford in the third round of the FA Cup at Craven Cottage on Thursday.
Marco Silva’s side are in the top half of the Premier League table after half-time but were frustrated after only picking up a point against Ipswich Town last time out.
Still, the Cottagers have proven to be tough opponents for the division’s best this season, with Liverpool and Arsenal among the teams set to drop points to the west Londoners.
In recent years they have typically lost in the fourth round of the competition, with their last defeat at this earlier stage coming in 2019.
Watford have an excellent record against their upcoming opponents, but they head into Thursday’s cup game in pretty miserable form after initially making a strong start to the Championship season. The Hornets have fallen to ninth place after losing four of their last five games.
They have also had a lot of problems in the third round since the clear final defeat against Manchester City in 2019.
Here is 90 minutes Guide to Fulham vs Watford in the FA Cup third round.
Fulham vs Watford H2H results (last five games)
Current form (all competitions)
Fulham | Watford |
|---|---|
Fulham 2-2 Ipswich – 01/05/25 | Watford 1-2 Sheffield Utd – 01/04/25 |
Fulham 2-2 Bournemouth – 12/29/24 | QPR 3-1 Watford – 01/01/25 |
Chelsea 1-2 Fulham – 12/26/24 | Watford 1-2 Cardiff – 12/29/24 |
Fulham 0-0 Southampton – 12/22/24 | Watford 2-1 Portsmouth – 12/26/24 |
Liverpool 2-2 Fulham – 12/14/24 | Burnley 2-1 Watford – 12/21/24 |
country | TV channel/live stream |
|---|---|
United Kingdom | BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra – not televised |
United States | ESPN+, ESPN app |
Canada | Sportsnet NowSportsnet EastSportsnet OntarioSportsnet PacificSportsnet WestSportsnet Now Plus |
Silva will inevitably shuffle his team in Sunday’s draw against Ipswich. Raul Jimenez, who salvaged a point for the Cottagers, is among those expected to earn a break.
Silva has Rodrigo Muniz in reserve, who has so far failed to build on his breakthrough in the 2023/24 season. He will be keen to get on the scoresheet here.
Reiss Nelson and Kenny Tete won’t be back until February at the earliest due to hamstring and knee injuries, but Sander Berge has a chance to make his comeback from an ankle problem on Thursday. Harrison Reed remains out.
Predicted line-up for Fulham vs Watford (4-2-3-1): Leno; Castagne, Diop, Cuenca, Sessegnon; Pereira, Lukic; Traore, Smith Rowe, Iwobi; Muniz.
Due to an ankle ligament injury, Watford will have to do without goalkeeper Daniel Bachmann for the long term, so Jonathan Bond is likely to get the job between the posts for the foreseeable future.
There will likely be fewer rotations for the visitors compared to the hosts, but coach Tom Cleverley will certainly make some changes. Experienced trio Moussa Sissoko, Ryan Porteous and Tom Ince could all feature in Watford’s 3-5-2, while Vakoun Issouf Bayo could move up front.
Kevin Keben is out but Tom Dele-Bashiru could be in contention after recovering from a knee injury.
Watford predicted line-up against Fulham (3-5-2): binding; Porteous, Pollock, Sierralta; Andrews, Kayembe, Sissoko, Louza, Ngakia; Bayo, baah.
Watford’s miserable form does not bode well for Thursday’s game as Fulham have only lost twice at the Cottage in the Premier League this season. While European football is a possibility, Silva will undoubtedly take this competition seriously.
The FA Cup gives the Hornets some respite from the relentless championship battle and they should be competitive here. Fulham’s likely reshuffle opens the door and the return of experienced Watford professionals should help them against superior opponents.
This could be a back-and-forth cup game that the Premier League team escapes.