Fulham vs Leeds – Betting Preview
Tuesday night’s FA Cup match between Fulham and Leeds United at Craven Cottage will determine which team advances further in the competition.
The home team will enter the game off of a 1-1 draw in league play against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Friday, while Leeds is coming off of a decisive 1-0 win over Southampton on Saturday.
Fulham Preview
As Fulham came from behind to draw 1-1 with Wolves in the league on Friday night, they extended their unbeaten streak to six games. Pablo Sarabia had given the visitors the lead in the first half, but Antonio Solomon’s third goal in as many games gave Marco Silva’s team a share of the spoils.
The outcome has placed the Cottagers in sixth place in the standings, just three points behind Tottenham Hotspur in fourth. The squad has had an outstanding season thus far.
Although the FA Cup quarterfinals are a possibility, Fulham’s priority is the Premier League. It would be an interesting tale if Silva could guide the team to a European finish.
The West London club has never won the FA Cup; their finest showing came in 1974–75, when they advanced to the final but fell to West Ham United.
This season, Fulham has already defeated Leeds, winning 3-2 in the Premier League back in October to snap a run of four successive defeats to the Whites across all competitions.
Leeds Preview
Meanwhile, Leeds comes into this game off of a 1-0 win over Southampton, with Junior Firpo scoring the game’s only goal to grab a crucial three points in Javi Gracia’s first game in charge.
The outcome lifted the team out of the relegation zone and into 17th place, but they are only one point ahead of Everton in 18th place and still have a long way to go to maintain their spot in England’s top division this season.
In order to advance to this FA Cup round, Leeds United had to defeat Accrington Stanley and Cardiff City, while Fulham had to defeat Hull City and Sunderland.
The Whites, unlike Fulham, have won the FA Cup before. In 1972, Allan Clarke scored the game’s lone goal as the Whites defeated Arsenal 1-0 in the championship game.
Although Gracia was hired by the club to keep them in the Premier League this year, the team is only one victory away from reaching the knockout round of a significant cup competition, and the game could present opportunities for several players looking to make an impression on their new head coach!
1×2 Betting Odds
Let’s analyse the 1×2 betting market.
Although this match has all the makings of being very interesting, it is tough to predict what will happen when two Premier League teams compete in this FA Cup round.
But given the home advantage and overall strength of the sides, it is Fulham who are the market favourites @ 2.19.
Although both coaches may make adjustments, we believe Fulham’s team is better on paper and position, so they will advance to the next round!
Leeds are the underdog away side in this @ 3.45.
The market odds of a stalemate and extra time to ensue, stands @ 3.70.
Total goals over/under
Let’s analyse the over/under market.
The odds that the total number of goals scored will be over 2.5, stands @ 1.90.
While the odds that the total number of goals will be under 2.5, stands @ 2.05.
Only one of the previous 5 games of Fulham has seen goal action go beyond the 2.5 mark. And that is also the exact case for Leeds United.
Keeping that in mind, plus the fact that both these sides are on the same level (Premier League clubs), expect a close affair!
