Match Preview
Fulham v Middlesbrough
Emirates FA Cup 3rd Round 25/26 at Craven Cottage
Saturday 10 January 2026 KO: 15:00
Referee:
Lewis Smith (Lancashire)
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Fulham welcome Middlesbrough to Craven Cottage on Saturday afternoon for the third round of the 2025-26 FA Cup.
The Cottagers lost 3-0 to eventual winners Crystal Palace at the quarter-final stage last season, while Boro were knocked out by Blackburn in the third round.
Fulham continued their impressive run of form on Wednesday evening by beating Chelsea 2-1 in the west-London derby.
The result moved Marco Silva's side into the top half of the Premier League table and extended their unbeaten run to five matches.
A large reason for Fulham's success has been their consistent home form, earning 20 of their 31 league points this season at Craven Cottage.
However, after being knocked out of the EFL Cup at the quarter-final stage by Newcastle United in December, the FA Cup is now Fulham's only realistic chance of silverware in 2026.
The Cottagers' best previous result in the competition came in 1975, when they lost 2-0 to West Ham United at Wembley Stadium to finish runners-up.
Silva's side will certainly be confident that they can clear this stage though, having not lost to Middlesbrough in any of the previous seven meetings between the sides.
Prior to Sunday's imposing 4-0 win against Southampton, Middlesbrough were on a four-match winless run, dragging them closer to third-place Ipswich Town.
While the Tractor Boys have played a game fewer, Kim Hellberg's side remain second in the Championship league table and trail league leaders Coventry by six points after 26 games.
Like Saturday's opponents, Boro have also never won the FA Cup, with their best finish also being runners-up when losing 2-0 to Chelsea in the 1997 final at Wembley Stadium.
The away side have also suffered recent woes in the FA Cup and have not passed this stage of the competition since 2022, when after beating Mansfield Town, they also eliminated Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur before being knocked out by Chelsea in the quarter-finals.
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Fulham are unbeaten in their last seven matches against Middlesbrough in all competitions (W4 D3) since losing 2-0 in the Championship back in February 2016.
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Middlesbrough and Fulham have never met before in the FA Cup – Boro are winless in their last 22 away FA Cup matches in London (D9 L13) since beating Charlton in January 1957.
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Fulham have progressed from each of their last six FA Cup third round ties since losing 2-1 at home to Oldham Athletic in 2018-19.
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Fulham manager Marco Silva has managed in seven previous FA Cup third round ties, and has won all seven matches by an aggregate score of 15-2.
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Middlesbrough have lost their last four matches in the FA Cup, scoring just one goal. They have never previously suffered five consecutive defeats in the competition.
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Source Freddie Cotton at SportsMole/BBCSports