On Saturday, from 15:01 pm, Fulham and Aston Villa meet at Craven Cottage in the 16th round of the England Cup final, in a match where the hosts start favorites, although they play in the second league! The villa will have more reserves on the ground, while the Londoners want a qualification in the next phase.
The two teams have been rivals in the Championship in recent years, and Fulham won the cause at a very important time: the final of the promotion play-off in 2018. The Londoners won by 1-0 and reached the first league. , while Villa had to wait for a season to reach the Premier League. This season, Fulham are struggling hard to get back into the play-off, while Aston Villa have great emotions in the fight to avoid relegation from the first league.
Both teams have shown quality football lately, but the difference could be made here by the objectives of the two managers involved. Dean Smith puts a higher price during the championship, while Scott Parker still has to assert himself on the black and white bench and will motivate his team to a prestigious success. In the final stage of the championship, Fulham lost at home to Reading (1-2), a match in which George Puscas was absent, injured. High quality players like Mawson, Onomah (ex-Villa), Cairney, Mitrovic or Knockaert, who set their sights on success with Stoke City (1-0) last month, after drawing with Luton (3-3) ).
From the 5th place in the Championship, Fulham are dueling with a team that has won two of the last four stages of the Premier League, with Norwich (1-0) and Burnley (2-1). Without players like Grealish, Mings, Wesley or El Ghazi in the first “11”, it is possible for Villa to give up the fight with Fulham, which opens the door for us to win black and white bets. Let’s count on a surprise here! Fulham have also won the last 5 consecutive duels with Aston Villa on Craven Cottage, and the contribution of the fans could be decisive in this balanced game.
PREDICTION: Over 2,5 goals @ 1,57
