Fulham will put Premier League duties to one side when they welcome Championship outfit Watford to Craven Cottage for a third-round tie in the FA Cup on Thursday night.
The two teams meet for the first time since April 2019 when the Hornets secured a 4-1 victory at Vicarage Road in the top flight.
Match preview
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Fulham have put together an eight-game unbeaten run in the Premier League, but they have drawn six of those matches and most recently salvaged a solitary point in a 2-2 draw with Ipswich Town last Sunday.
Only Brighton & Hove Albion (10) have shared the spoils on more occasions in this season's top flight than Fulham (nine), who had Raul Jimenez to thank against the Tractor Boys as he converted two second-half penalties to help the Cottagers come from behind twice and avoid defeat.
Marco Silva vented his frustration post-match and said that the performance of referee Darren Bond "was not at the level the Premier League demands" after Ipswich's Leif Davis avoided a red card for a last-man foul in the first half. Nevertheless, Fulham sit ninth in the table and are only six points behind the top four.
Before preparing for favourable-looking league fixtures against West Ham United and Leicester City, Fulham will endeavour to progress from the third round of the FA Cup for the sixth successive season when they face Watford on home soil.
The 1975 runners-up have advanced from 13 of their last 16 third-round ties and have progressed from each of their previous four FA Cup ties against lower-league opposition, but they have failed to win any of their last six competitive meetings with Watford (D3 L3), conceding 14 goals in the process.
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After making a promising start to their third consecutive season in the Championship, Watford have fallen out of the playoff spots and down to ninth place following a run of four defeats in their last five matches.
The Hornets have been beaten by Cardiff City, Queens Park Rangers and Sheffield United in their last three games, losing 2-1 at home to the latter last weekend, while they have failed to keep a clean sheet in any of their last seven fixtures.
Head coach Tom Cleverley has acknowledged that his team have shown their "fragilities" in recent weeks and has admitted that turning the club's fortunes around is both a "big ask" and "probably the biggest challenge I've ever faced in this industry".
Encounters with Cardiff, Derby County and Preston North End are on the horizon later this month, but they will first shift their attention to the FA Cup, a competition that they have been runners-up in twice in 1984 and 2019.
Watford may have progressed from only one of their last five FA Cup third-round ties - a 2-1 win over Chesterfield last season - but there is reason to be optimistic of success on Thursday, as they have won three of their last four meetings with Fulham and have not lost any of their previous three visits to Craven Cottage.
Team News
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Fulham's Sander Berge has an outside chance of returning from an ankle injury, but Reiss Nelson (hamstring), Kenny Tete and Harrison Reed (both knee) are all set to remain in the treatment room.
Silva will consider rotating his team in a few positions and will weigh up whether to stick with a three-at-the-back system or revert to a four-man defence. Jorge Cuenca and Ryan Sessegnon are two names who will be pushing to start at the back.
Emile Smith Rowe could be handed a start in midfield after making two substitute appearances since recovering from injury, while attacking duo Adama Traore and Rodrigo Muniz will be hoping to force their way into the first XI.
As for Watford, goalkeeper Daniel Bachmann is ruled out for up to three months with an ankle ligament injury sustained in the closing stages of last weekend's defeat to Sheffield United. Jonathan Bond is therefore set to start between the sticks.
Tom Dele-Bashiru is closing in on a return from a knee injury but remains doubtful, while fellow midfielder Imran Louza recovered from illness to play the full 90 minutes last time out, and defender Angelo Ogbonna played for just over an hour after almost 12 weeks out with a hamstring problem.
Jeremy Ngakia scored his first senior goal for Watford last weekend and is in contention to continue at left wing-back, while the likes of Ryan Porteous, Moussa Sissoko, Tom Ince and Vakoun Issouf Bayo will all be pushing for a recall.
Fulham possible starting lineup:
Leno; Castagne, Diop, Cuenca, Sessegnon; Pereira, Lukic; Traore, Smith Rowe, Iwobi; Muniz
Watford possible starting lineup:
Bond; Porteous, Pollock, Sierralta; Andrews, Kayembe, Sissoko, Louza, Ngakia; Bayo, Baah
We say: Fulham 3-1 Watford
The previous three FA Cup meetings between Fulham and Watford have all required replays to determine a winner, with the Hornets winning the first two (1932 and 1983) before the Cottagers triumphed in 2005.
There are no replays in the competition this time around, though, and although another tight affair could be in store on Thursday, we are backing the home side to take advantage of the visitors' poor run of form and secure their spot in the fourth round, even if Silva opts to make multiple changes.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Oliver Thomas
