Friday evening, from 19:45 pm, Fulham receives the visit of Middlesbrough, in the 28th round of the Championship, the second English league. The guests are in a sensational comeback and have been close to eliminating Tottenham from the England Cup, but Fulham is a favorite here.
From the 4th place in the ranking, the Londoners aim again at the promotion and have good chances to obtain it, judging by the successful performances of the black and white. With only one failure in the last five stages, Fulham are battling with Brentford, Nottingham and Sheffield Wednesday for an advantageous position in the play-off! On the other hand, Middlesbrough is in a neutral area right now.
After a disappointing start to the season, Woodgate’s team straightened their game and now has four wins and a draw in the last five stages: 16th place (28-34 goalscoring). Boro is a hard band to beat, because the placement of the red and white often leads to a hermetic defense. Fulham is a talented team, which has scored 41 goals this season (compared to 28 Middlesbrough successes), but the guests will sell expensive leather at Craven Cottage.
Middlesbrough comes after the away victories with WBA (2-0) and Preston (2-0), but also after draws with Tottenham (1-1) and Derby (2-2), after some good games. Fulham won the final leg, 1-0 at Hull, after defeating Aston Villa in the English Cup (2-1). In the tour, on Riverside, the two teams drew (0-0), and the “Under 2.5 goals” bet was a winner in each of the last 6 straight duels between Fulham and Middlesbrough! We bet again on a balanced match, decided to the limit, probably in favor of the hosts coached by Scott Parker.
Only two teams have won more points on home soil than Fulham this season. The first half will be decisive, because Fulham is a team of morale, which lost on its own ground only when it was led to the break. Boro waited 11 matches for a away victory, but now he has a solid morale and comes to play a well-organized game. The hosts are missing Le Marchand, while guests come without Dijksteel, Friend, Randolph, Ayala, Shotton and Britt Assombalonga. The most dangerous players on the field will be Ivan Cavaleiro and Aleksandar Mitrovic (Fulham), respectively Rudy Gestede in Middlesbrough’s camp.
PREDICTION: Fulham to win @ 1,87
