Southampton host Fulham at 3pm on Saturday afternoon, and Jake Pearson has previewed the fixture, picking out a couple of bets, as well as a score prediction.
Football betting tips: Southampton v Fulham
1pt Fulham to win at 29/10 (BetVictor)
1pt Both Teams To Score at Evens (SportNation)
Fulham’s 2-0 defeat at home to Burnley on Monday confirmed what most had known for a while now, that Scott Parker’s men will be plying their trade in the Championship next season.
All in all, it has been another poor showing from Fulham in the Premier League this season, exiting the top flight with three games to spare, though they have already collected more points this season than they did in 2018/19.
Parker’s side are currently on a seven-game winless run, losing six of those, but with the weight of the relegation battle now off their shoulders to some extent, there is every chance we will see a different Fulham for the remainder of the campaign.
Southampton’s 3-1 victory over Crystal Palace on Tuesday evening ended their own run of five games without a win, but the Saints have been hugely inconsistent since the turn of the year, failing to put back-to-back wins together in 2021.
The return of Danny Ings undoubtedly had a positive impact on Southampton’s performance, with the striker scoring twice as Ralph Hasenhuttl’s men came from behind to clinch the three points, but whether the Saints can back it up is another story.
At first glance, it would seem feasible to side with Southampton in this fixture, particularly after their recent victory, but these Fulham players really need to show something in the remaining games of the season, either to keep their place at the club or possibly to put themselves in the shop window for another Premier League outfit.
Also, betting is often not solely about which team will win the particular fixture, but rather which team’s price is not representative of their chances of winning the fixture, and in this case, that looks to be Fulham.
Fulham overpriced
Away to Aston Villa Fulham were 2/1, away to Crystal Palace they were 5/4, and away to Burnley they were 6/4.
Here they can be backed at 29/10, which effectively means the bookmakers think they are 8% less likely to beat Southampton than they were to beat Villa, 19% less likely than they were to beat Crystal Palace, and 14% less likely than they were to beat Burnley, which, given the circumstances, seems incorrect.
The value on the 1X2 market in this match is in backing a FULHAM WIN at a standout price of 29/10.
Shackles off, goals in
It is also worth mentioning the goals betting in this fixture, given only four teams have kept fewer clean sheets than these two sides this season, as well as the fact that Southampton have the joint-highest average match goals (team goals + opponent goals) in the Premier League this term.
BOTH TEAMS TO SCORE should be priced up around the 10/11 mark, but there is value to be had if you can get on the 19/20 available with RedZone, and even more so if you can snap up some of the even money on offer with SportNation.
Southampton v Fulham best bets and score prediction
- 1pt Fulham to win at 29/10 (BetVictor)
- 1pt Both Teams To Score at Evens (SportNation)
Score prediction: Southampton 1-2 Fulham (Sky Bet odds: 11/1)
Odds correct at 1515 BST (12/05/21)
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