Fulham v Crystal Palace Tips: Eagles backed on the Asian Handicap | OneFootball

English FA Cup

Palace are W9-D0-L2 in their last 11 outings

Fulham and Crystal Palace face-off in the FA Cup quarter-finals on Saturday. Betfair writer Mark O'Haire is backing the Eagles in the Asian Handicap market.

Betfair Saturday Football Superboost

The FA Cup quarter-finals begin with a London derby at Craven Cottage where Fulham host Crystal Palace and it's a visiting player who takes centre stage in the Betfair Saturday Football Superboost.

Fulham v Crystal PalaceSaturday March 29, 12:15Live on ITV

Fulham leave it late

Fulham strengthened their bid for European qualification by beating Tottenham 2-0 at Craven Cottage before the international break. Rodrigo Muniz and Ryan Sessegnon scored in the closing 15 minutes to breathe life into what had been a largely drab Premier League clash with only two shots on-target landed across the contest in the opening 65 minutes.

Cottagers boss Marco Silva would not have been happy with how his side performed for 75 minutes. His side were lacking in creativity and decisiveness, but one passage of play changed the feeling of the game, with Fulham winning the ball high up the field and eventually working it to Muniz who finished in fine fashion to break the deadlock.

Speaking post-match, Silva said: "All of the first half was in our offensive half. We had some good moments but the last pass, the last cross wasn't the best. At half-time the conversation was to be more patient. We're very happy to win and to be where we are right now in the league is a privilege for us. It means we are doing something very good."

Palace continue fine recent form

Ismaila Sarr scored the only goal of the game as Crystal Palace won their fourth match in a row to beat Ipswich in a scrappy encounter at Selhurst Park before the international break. Without key striker Jean-Philippe Mateta leading the line, the Eagles had to wait until the 82nd minute to make their breakthrough in a match that largely lacked quality.

The result means Palace continue their fine form and have lost just twice in their past 14 games. The Eagles have since taken the opportunity to go on a mid-season break to Marbella in preparation for their season-defining FA Cup clash on Saturday with Mateta since being passed fit for the weekend with the 27-year-old wearing a protective mask.

Looking back on the Ipswich performance and analysing Palace's recent upsurge, head coach Oliver Glasner said, "We are really proud because it's a third win in a row in the Premier League. It's a tough thing for any team to do and these guys did it. It's a great statement. We know have to make sure we are ready for the crunch time."

Cottagers can be opposed

Fulham have won only three of their last 14 meetings with Crystal Palace dating back to 2013 (W3-D5-L4) with the Cottagers struggling for top honours when welcoming the Eagles to Craven Cottage. The Whites have failed to win any of their last six here (W0-D3-L3) against Palace, a record that includes a 2-0 defeat in the Premier League this term.

Fulham 2.42 have been eliminated from the FA Cup in each of their last four quarter-final appearances and are looking to knock out Premier League opposition in successive rounds for the first time since 2003. The Cottagers are W6-D5-L4 in home EPL outings this season and surprisingly ranked as low as 12th on home Expected Points (xP) rankings.

Crystal Palace 3.35 have progressed from four of their last five FA Cup quarter-final ties but have been eliminated in eight of their past 10 ties against fellow top-flight opposition. Nevertheless, only Liverpool and Arsenal have performed better than the Eagles (W7-D1-L2) since Boxing Day with visitors also suffering just three away league losses this term.

Eagles appeal as underdogs

All four all-Premier League ties in the FA Cup fifth round this season ended all-square and the Draw 3.35 has to be a consideration again at Craven Cottage when Fulham and Crystal Palace cross swords. However, I'm happy to have the Eagles onside here with Crystal Palace 0 & +0.5 Asian Handicap trading at an appealing 1.91 for Saturday's early kick-off.

The selection means we'll make money should Palace avoid defeat in 90 minutes - we'll earn a full-stakes profit should the visitors come out on top, and earn a half-stakes pay-out should the game end all-square - only a Fulham success will see our stake lost.

Palace are W10-D6-L4 in EPL action since late October and have posted W9-D0-L2 across all competitions in their last 11 outings. Oliver Glasner's group are a remarkable W8-D3-L1 on their travels over the past five months with their only reverse in that same sample arriving at Arsenal in the Carabao Cup (2-3). The Eagles also won here as recently as last month.

Recommended bets

Back Crystal Palace 0 & +0.5 Asian Handicap @ 1.91