Matchday 17 of the Premier League between Fulham and Southampton will take place on December 22 at Craven Cottage in London. Fulham vs. Southampton: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Referee: Tim Robinson (England)
Matches – 6 (Premier League, 2024/25);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 34;
Average yellow cards per match – 5.7;
Red cards shown – 1;
Average fouls per match – 25;
Penalties – 17%.
Predicted lineups for Fulham vs. Southampton
Fulham (4-2-3-1): Bernd Leno – Antonee Robinson, Jorge Cuenca, Kenny Tete, Issa Diop – Sander Berge, Saša Lukić – Alex Iwobi, Harry Wilson, Andreas Pereira – Raul Jimenez.
Southampton (4-3-1-2): Alex McCarthy – Jan Bednarek, Kyle Walker-Peters, Taylor Harwood-Bellis, Ryan Manning – Mateusz Fernandes, Flynn Downes, Joe Aribo – Tyler Dibling – Adam Armstrong, Kamaldeen Sulemana.
Each team's starting lineup from their previous match in this tournament is listed.
Fulham
The Londoners played four matches in December against opponents from the top half of the table and remained unbeaten. The team defeated Brighton (3-1) and drew with Tottenham and Fulham (both 1-1), and in the last round, they drew with Liverpool (2-2). Marco Silva's side is in 8th place, just four points away from the Champions League zone.
Midfielder Andreas Pereira will miss the match due to suspension.
- Fulham has lost only once in their last eight Premier League matches (3 wins and 4 draws).
- Both teams scored in 9 of Fulham's last 10 Premier League games.
- At least three goals have been scored in 7 of the club's last 9 home league matches.
Southampton
The club comes into this match on the back of three consecutive defeats. In two of these matches, they suffered heavy home losses to Chelsea (1-5) and Tottenham (0-5). The latest defeat was Southampton's biggest of the season, leading to the dismissal of head coach Russell Martin. Simon Rusk temporarily managed the team in the League Cup midweek, where they lost to Liverpool 1-2. The club remains at the bottom of the table, nine points adrift of the safety of 17th place.
Defender Jack Stephens will not play due to suspension.
- The club's winless streak in the Premier League stands at six matches (1 draw and 5 losses).
- In 14 of the last 16 league games, Southampton has not scored more than one goal.
- The number "1" appeared in the final scoreline in 8 of Southampton's last 9 away Premier League matches.
Fulham vs. Southampton: Match Prediction
The visitors are in poor form and are unlikely to improve their league performance soon. I do not expect a change in results after the managerial change, as the new coach Ivan Jurić, who was recently dismissed from Roma, will take over. Southampton has won only one of their last 29 Premier League matches, a 1-0 victory over Everton (6 draws and 22 losses). Meanwhile, the team has not tasted victory in 15 away Premier League games (3 draws and 12 losses).
I am confident that the hosts will secure three points with relative ease. Fulham has a favorable schedule until March (with only Chelsea posing a significant challenge), which they must capitalize on to secure a spot in European competitions, potentially even the Champions League. Notably, Fulham won the last two league meetings with Southampton 2-0 and 2-1. Therefore, my prediction: Fulham with a handicap (-1)
