FA Cup: Fulham are a Mismatch Against Undermanned Rotherham

Fulham vs Rotherham

It’s a busy start to 2024 for Fulham, as they’re currently fighting on all three fronts. After sealing their berth in the EFL Cup semi-finals, where they’ll face Liverpool next week, they now commence their FA Cup campaign with a third-round tiff against Rotherham on Friday.

The Cottagers are heavily favoured by the FA Cup 2024 odds for this particular contest since they have the Millers’ number. However, Marco Silva’s men cannot fully underestimate their Championship visitors since they don’t have a full squad.

As for Rotherham, they’re just happy to be here, given their up-and-down campaign thus far. But their confidence will go through the roof if they somehow score an upset against Fulham.

Without further ado, continue reading down below for some important talking points and FA Cup 2024 updates regarding this fixture.

Talking Points

Fulham to rotate their squad amid AFCON absentees

Fulham are on a high after they just won 2-1 last time out, as the returning Raul Jimenez and Bobby Decordova-Reid notched one goal apiece to deal Arsenal a huge blow to their Premier League title hopes.

Tom Cairney was also brilliant against the Gunners, as he produced an excellent defencive display for the Cottagers. The Fulham captain was also responsible for giving his team the lead by teeing up Jimenez for the equaliser.

Because the Cottagers will play three games in the next seven days, Marco Silva will (and should) tinker with his lineups.

We envision Silva giving Cairney and Jimenez the night off against Rotherham to have them fresh against Liverpool, so Rodrigo Muniz and Harrison Reed are set to deputise, although the goalscoring cudgels are going to be on Bobby Decordova-Reid, who is the team’s second-leading scorer with four goals this season.

Furthermore, Calvin Bassey, Alex Iwobi, and Fode Ballo-Toure are all away on international duty at the upcoming AFCON, so this opens up opportunities for the likes of Issa Diop, Sasa Lukic, and Kenny Tete.

Injury bug hits Rotherham hard

Leam Richardson has recently guided the Millers to a three-game unbeaten run after dropping his first three games at the coaching helm. However, they still have a long way to go because they’re dead last in the Championship table with only 18 points after 26 matchdays.

Injuries have been a huge problem for almost every sports team around the world nowadays. Rotherham are no exception, as their absentee list is growing at an alarming rate, particularly at the back.

Defenders Lee Peltier, Tyler Blackett, and Cameron Humphreys will remain unavailable against Fulham due to their hamstring injuries, while Grant Hall (hip), Fred Onyedinma (thigh), Andre Green (achilles), and Shane Ferguson (hernia) are also in the medical room.

Rotherham are in dire need of a spark to turn around their 2023-24 campaign, and it’ll likely come from their forwards Jordan Hugill, Sam Nombe, and Tom Eaves, who combine for seven goals and two assists this season.

History

The odds are stacked against Rotherham on Friday for two reasons.

First is the fact that they are winless in their last 17 FA Cup road matches against English top-flight opponents (D5, L12). And second, Fulham have won their last four meetings against Rotherham in all competitions, with their last encounter being a 1-0 result for the Cottagers in April 2017.

In fact, Rotherham’s last FA Cup road win against a top-flight opponent dates back to January 1953, when they scored a 3-1 result at Newcastle United.

Moreover, Fulham have progressed from 12 of their last 15 FA Cup third round matches, and Marco Silva has yet to lose in such matches: twice with the Cottagers and once each with Everton, Watford, and Hull City.

But if the Millers somehow win, it would be the first time they’d reach the FA Cup fourth round since 2001-02.

Betting Tip 

Based on the article title, Fulham are heavily favoured to win on Friday at Craven Cottage. The SBOTOP odds have the Cottagers at 1.19, whereas the Millers are 7.00 underdogs, and a draw is priced at 6.40 in the 1X2 market.

The fact that Fulham are in the English top-flight and Rotherham are at the bottom of the Championship standings speaks volumes, so Marco Silva’s men should have no problem dispatching Leam Richardson’s side.

Rotherham are likely to keep a low block and try to hurt Fulham on the counter, but Fulham have enough quality to break them down, making alternative bets like Over 2.50 at 2.06, Total Goal 2-3 at 2.11, and even Total Goal 4-6 at 2.19 worth considering.

 

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