MY ACCOUNT
– Sunderland and Fulham drew the original fourth round tie 1-1
– Fulham are eighth in the Premier League, Sunderland sit ninth in the Championship
– Recommended bet: Sunderland or Tie in Double Chance
Sunderland held Fulham to a 1-1 draw in the first game and now have a real chance of knocking the Premier League side out of the FA Cup at home in Wednesday’s fourth-round replay.
The Black Cats took the lead at Craven Cottage through Jack Clarke early on but Fulham equalised when Tom Cairney struck after the break in what was an entertaining original tie.
Fulham boss Marco Silva, who is serving a touchline ban for the replay, made seven changes for the first meeting and is expected to delve into his squad again so Sunderland will feel they have a good chance of pulling off an upset at the Stadium Of Light.
Team news
On-loan forward Joe Gelhardt is cup-tied for Sunderland, while other recent additions, defender Joe Anderson and forward Isaac Lihadji, are ineligible as they were not Black Cats’ players at the time of the original tie.
Striker Ross Stewart is out with the serious Achilles injury he sustained in the Craven Cottage clash, while defender Dennis Cirkin will miss the replay due to concussion protocols.
Midfielders Corry Evans and Elliot Embleton also remain absent for the hosts due to long-term injuries but Luke O’Nien is available again after serving a three-game suspension.
New signings Cedric Soares and Sasa Lukic will not feature for Fulham as they too had yet to join the club when the first game took place, and Neeskens Kebano is still struggling with an Achilles injury.
Second-choice keeper Marek Rodak is tipped to come in for Bernd Leno like he did in the first game, while Silva must decide whether to start key first-team regulars like Andreas Pereira, Joao Palhinha and Aleksandar Mitrovic or rest them ahead of Saturday’s Premier League clash with Nottingham Forest.
The stats
There were only two goals in the first game but both sides had plenty of other good chances with Fulham racking up 12 attempts on target while Sunderland managed six.
Fulham sit eighth in the top flight, eight points off the top four and two points behind sixth-placed Brighton.
Sunderland are ninth in the Championship, but remain firmly in the play-off hunt as they are only two points behind West Brom in sixth.
The two clubs also faced each other in the FA Cup fourth round in January 2015 and that tie also went to a replay.
The first game ended 0-0 at the Stadium Of Light before Sunderland won the replay 3-1 at Craven Cottage.
Prediction
Sunderland will hope to take advantage of what could be a weakened Fulham line-up and claim a Premier League scalp with a win setting up the chance to host another top-flight club in the shape of Leeds in the fifth round.
Tony Mowbray’s side started the first game very well before Fulham deservedly drew level in the second half and they will be confident of going toe-to-toe with the Cottagers again, with the replay ending in a home win or all square again after 90 minutes appealing in the Double Chance market.
Back Sunderland or Tie in Double Chance at 21/20 with LiveScore Bet.
