Fulham vs Southampton Prediction, Odds and Lineups: Best bets at Craven Cottage

Fulham host struggling Southampton this afternoon in a Premier League clash at Craven Cottage, with kick-off set for 2pm and live coverage on Sky Sports. To help you get the most out of the action, betting expert Oli Nixon has analysed the markets and shared his top tips for the game.

Consecutive home games conceding five goals saw the end of Russell Martin’s reign at Southampton. They were 5-0 down at half time against Spurs on Sunday evening, which saw Saints fans pour out of the exits. Martin leaves Southampton rooted to the bottom of the Premier League table and nine points adrift of safety, so the termination of his contract will come as no surprise as his possession heavy approach struggled to have an impact in the top division.

Opponents Fulham are on an entirely different trajectory. The Cottagers sit 8th in the standings and will be buoyed by having gone unbeaten in a tough recent four game spell that has seen them face Liverpool, Arsenal, Brighton and Spurs. If results go their way on Saturday, Marco Silva’s men could go into Christmas inside the top-six with victory in this game and facing a side who’ve taken just one point from eight away fixtures, they’ll be confident of getting three points.

A key part in Fulham’s ascension to the top-10 has been midfielder Sander Berge. His all-action displays in the heart of Marco Silva’s side have seen him average 2.76 tackles per 90 minutes in the Premier League this season. He has made at least two tackles in seven of his last eight matches including totals of four against Brentford and six against Arsenal, demonstrating how key he is for the Cottagers in breaking down opponents’ attacks.

At the time of writing, Southampton are yet to replace the recently dismissed Russell Martin and whilst we can expect a move away from his ball playing style, any significant tactical changes will take time for a new manager to bed in. This season they’ve seen plenty of action in the middle of the park where 27 different opposition central midfielders have made at least two tackles against them. With Berge so keen to tackle, his name will likely be added to that long list of midfielders on Sunday.

As well as changing Southampton’s style to make them more robust, another key priority for their new manager will be to shore up a defence that has conceded 36 goals in just 16 games, the second worst record in the division.

A good place to start would be from set pieces where Saints have conceded eight goals, again the joint second worst data of any Premier League side. Most of these goals came earlier in the season, however, they’ve still given up 2.34 xg from set plays in their last five league games, emphasising how this is clearly still an Achilles heel.

For Fulham, Issa Diop is a clear target from corners and wide free kicks due to his aerial dominance. This has seen him have five efforts at goal, all of which have come from corners, and those shots have combined for 0.53 xg. Two of those shots have been on target, one of which came against a side with similar deficiencies defending set pieces in Tottenham.

Diop’s data isn’t the strongest but with Calvin Bassey potentially still missing from injury and Southampton seemingly incapable of keeping sides out from restarts, he feels a big price for a shot on target.

Fulham vs Southampton Lineups

Fulham's Andreas Pereira is suspended after picking up his fifth yellow of the season, but captain Tom Cairney returns from his own ban.

Jack Stephens is still out for Southampton due to a four-match suspension, having picked up to red cards already this season.

The starting lineups for Fulham vs Southampton are displayed in the graphic below.