English Premier
2012-05-06 - Fulham vs Sunderland
A Sports Betting Pick by Auls
Football: English Premier League
Sunday 6 May 2012 - Kick Off 2pm
Fulham
Fulham look to sign off on their last game at Craven Cottage with another win that will almost certainly seal another top half of the table finish. They will also want to build on their first win at Anfield which was secured during the week.
The team are 9th in the table and will actually move up one place if they avoid defeat in this one as Liverpool are pre-occupied with the FA Cup Final. They have a 9-5-4 record at Craven Cottage, scoring 34 goals and conceding 25.
A 0-1 win at Anfield was impressive considering Fulham had been beaten 4-0 at Everton just days before. They have now lost just 1 of their last 6 League games and have picked up the win in 4 of those games. Fulham have lost just 1 of their last 10 home games in all competitions, and they have won 7 of those games.
Martin Jol is expected to return to the dugout having missed the last couple of games on Merseyside. Andrew Johnson has been ruled out.
Sunderland
Martin O'Neill has said he isn't too surprised that his Sunderland side have had a lull in results after a blistering start under his reign and he has put that down to the fact that expectations have been raised to perhaps unreasonable levels. It is going to be a big Summer at the Stadium of Light as the squad is adjusted to the Northern Irishman's liking.
Sunderland are 11th in the Premier League and they still have a good chance of finishing in the top half of the table if they can pick up a couple of wins down the stretch. They also could have a big say in the title race as they are hosting Manchester United on the final day of the season. They have a 4-5-9 away record in the League, scoring 18 goals and conceding 27.
The team have actually failed to win any of their last 7 games in all competitions since a 3-1 win over QPR at the Stadium of Light. They have drawn 5 of their last 6 League games, including the last 3. Sunderland have not won any of their last 7 away games in all competitions, although they have earned draws in 4 of those games.
John O'Shea and Nicolas Bendtner both look set to miss this game and Titus Bramble is still out. Craig Gardner has returned to the side after being suspended against Bolton Wanderers last week.
Head to Head
These two sides drew 0-0 at the Stadium of Light earlier this season, yet another low-scoring game between them in recent years.
6 of the last 7 games involving these two have finished with just 1 goal or fewer scored.
Fulham have won 1 of their last 3 home games against Sunderland, while the other 2 games have both finished 0-0 including last season.
Prediction
I was going to back Fulham to win this game, but their recent home record against Sunderland has put me off slightly and I am instead going to take the bigger price that we see less than 3 goals scored between the teams.
Sunderland have struggled for goals in recent games, failing to score in 3 of their last 4 away from home, and they are missing Nicolas Bendtner in this one which makes it that much more difficult for them.
The Black Cats have also been very effective defensively and rarely get blown away so there are a lot of signs that we could see another tight game on Sunday.
Fulham have been playing well at home coming into this game, and I expect they will be doing most of the attacking work, but the Unders looks to be a more comfortable pick than the home win.
The Statistics :
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The Pick :
Fulham 1-0 Sunderland
