Fulham vs Middlesbrough Prediction & Betting Tips - Championship

Prediction published on 05/08/2021, 23:06  by Daniel Ngulu | Modified on 05/08/2021 at 23:09 in Championship Prediction

Fulham starts life in the Championship as one of the favorites to secure promotion this season and they will have to show it when they host Middlesbrough at Craven Cottage. A top change at Fulham since their relegation saw Marco Silva replace Scott Parker as manager in July. The team also brought in Harry Wilson from Liverpool and have a new goalkeeper in Paulo Gazzaniga and will be expected to field a strong line up in this game. They still have key players from their Premier League campaign, including Serbian forward Aleksandar Mitrovic, who scored 26 goals the last time he played in this league. Silva fielded a strong side in their only preseason friendly match as Fulham beat Charlton Athletic 1-0 and will be expected to carry on. They are unbeaten in five matches against Middlesbrough, winning three and two ending in draws. None of their last four meetings has produced over 2.5 goals though, and with the rustiness that comes with the opening game, we don’t expect a lot of goals here.

Middlesbrough haven’t scored a goal against Fulham in their last three meetings but they head to this game on a very impressive preseason run. They have four wins in five matches in preseason and have scored in each of them. Their final friendly game ended in a 1-0 win over Rotherham United and they’ll be fired up for a strong start, having finished 10th last season. The quality of opposition they meet in Fulham will be much higher than what they faced in preseason but there isn’t any doubt Neil Warnock’s side will be optimistic. Britt Assombalonga has left the team and Uche Ikpeazu, coming in from Wycombe, will be expected to fill the void. Duncan Watmore, their top scorer with nine goals last season is also in contention but Warnock will definitely prefer goals coming from his forwards with some consistency.