Stoke City are collapsing in the EFL Championship and have not won since the start of the year. Perhaps they can at least give their supporters something to cheer in the FA Cup? However, they need to get past Fulham, a very serious challenge.
Stoke City
Their previous opponents in the FA Cup were from the same division, Coventry City, who were not struggling as much then as they are now. On that occasion Mark Robins’s side progressed thanks to a single goal by Lamine Cissé in the 88th minute, but with 2.59 xG they could have scored earlier and more. They are now on a five‑match winless run in the league, which has dropped them from eighth to 14th place.
Fulham
They have also been sliding in recent rounds because of a run of three defeats. They conceded three goals away to both Manchester City and Manchester United, and at home lost a mid‑table battle to Everton (1:2). In the third round Marco Silva’s side dealt with current leaders of the EFL Championship, Middlesbrough (3:1), coming from behind after losing the first half 0:1.
Stoke City vs Fulham Prediction
Both teams are having major problems with their results, but Fulham’s squad is roughly 4.5 times more valuable than Stoke’s. The only thing in Stoke's favour is that, even when they lose, they do not concede many: in 14 consecutive matches no side has scored more than two against them.
