It’s been a tough winter for Stoke fans; heavy defeats against Manchester City, Chelsea and Swansea came during an 8-game run without a victory. This ended in our last outing at the Britannia Stadium against Reading; for our last away win, you have to go back to the first day of December, and a 1-0 victory against West Brom.
As is becoming the norm, our away form has been pathetic this season, and only our home form appears to be saving us from a relegation scrap. Fulham, meanwhile, aren’t doing too badly in current form – though Jol’s men sit below us in the league, trailing us by four points.
It’s unlikely there will be many goals in this game; the Potters are struggling to score although have been conceding freely as of late. Meanwhile, Fulham have also been struggling to score, but have themselves a tight solid defensive line.
Stats – Provided by EA Sports Player Performance Index
- Fulham played out a disappointing draw with Norwich last time out, a 0-0 draw the end result on a day when both sides seemingly struggled to break the deadlock.
- Sascha Reither is doing all he can to help his case for a longer contract come the end of the season. The right back has been producing some excellent displays for Martin Jol’s side and has earned a 76.7% tackle success rate from 60 attempted challenges, as well as 83 interceptions and 12 blocks.
- The versatile German has also been proving his mettle in attack, providing 45 crosses, a squad-high, and completing 400 passes in the opponent’s half this season according to the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index.
- Damien Duff has been rolling back the years at times this season, proving he still has more than enough quality to compete in the upper echelons of the Premier League. He’s provided more assists than any other Fulham player with 7, as well as chipping in with 3 goals.
- Hugo Rodallega continues to turn in some solid performances up front for Martin Jol’s side this season. Whilst his strike partner Dimitar Berbatov continues to grab the headlines for the Cottagers, it is the Colombian who has the strongest accuracy rate in the squad for players with more than 13 attempts on goal, with 67.4%. Rodallega is 2/1 to score at any time this weekend with 888sport.com.
- Stoke claimed a deserved 2-1 victory over Reading thanks to a Robert Huth header and a ferocious strike from Cameron Jerome.
- Although not a player who often garners headlines, Glenn Whelan has been one of Tony Pulis’ most consistent performers this season. He’s contributed 5 assists and 24 crosses as well as completing a pass in the opponent’s half once every 5.8 minutes.
- No Stoke player has been more willing to provide a consistent threat on goal than Jonathan Waltersthis season. He’s racked up 35 attempts on goal, although only 46% have been on target. You’ll find Walters 11/4 to score at any time on 888sport.com.
- Matthew Etherington will be looking for more end-product from his final ball as we move into the business-end of the season. He’s provided 30 crosses this campaign, more than any other Stoke player, but has yet to register an assist.
- Although always key in a defensive context for Stoke, Robert Huth’s reading of the game will need to be at its best this weekend to cope with the deceptive movement of the Fulham front line. All signs suggest that the big German has the ability contain Berbatov and co though, as he leads the Stoke squad for interceptions with 148 according to the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index.
You can also read our full Fan vs Fan preview on the Unibet website.
