Fulham welcome Championship outfit Rotherham United to Craven Cottage for an FA Cup third-round tie on Friday night fresh from their Premier League triumph over London rivals Arsenal,
While the Cottagers are hoping to better their quarter-final finish in last season's FA Cup, the Millers are seeking to avoid a sixth consecutive third-round elimination.
For the first time since February 2012, Fulham celebrated success over Arsenal when they came from behind to beat the Gunners 2-1 on home soil in the Premier League on New Year's Eve.
Bukayo Saka bundled the ball home to give Arsenal an early lead, but the Cottagers restored parity on the half-hour mark through Raul Jimenez, before Bobby De-Cordova Reid netted what proved to be the match-winner midway through the second half to help the hosts end an 11-game winless run against the Gunners.
Victory over Arsenal also ended a three-match losing run in the top flight for Marco Silva's side, who remain 13th in the table but have climbed nine points clear of the relegation zone, while they are only four points adrift of 10th-placed Chelsea whom they face next week.
Fulham are sure to have one eye on next week's EFL Cup semi-final first leg with Liverpool, but they must first shift their focus to the FA Cup as they endeavour to progress from the third round for the 13th time in the last 16 seasons.
Silva has won all five of his previous FA Cup third-round ties as a manager, including two with Fulham, who will fancy their chances of success again on Friday as they have come out on top in each of their last four meetings with Rotherham by an aggregate score of 10-3.
After losing his first three games in charge of Rotherham, head coach Leam Richardson has since steered his new Millers side on a three-match unbeaten run in the Championship, with a slender 1-0 win over Middlesbrough followed by back-to-back score draws with Sunderland and Blackburn Rovers.
The South Yorkshire-based outfit came from behind twice to rescue a point at Ewood Park on New Year's Day, with Tom Eaves restoring parity eight minutes from time with just his second goal of the campaign after Sean Morrison had previously found the net in the first half.
Only Coventry and Huddersfield Town (both 10) have drawn more Championship matches than Rotherham (nine) so far this season, and the Millers will need to turn those solitary points into three sooner rather than later if they wish to climb off the foot of the second-tier standings and close the seven-point gap to safety.
Rotherham now turn their attention to the FA Cup and must pull off an upset away against Premier League opposition if they wish to reach the fourth round for the first time since the 2001-02 campaign.
However, success on Friday will be a tall order for the Millers as they have failed to win any of their last 17 FA Cup away matches against top-flight opponents, while they have not won a competitive away game in any competition since beating Sheffield United 1-0 in the second tier back in November 2022.
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Fulham have won their past four meetings with Rotherham, but this will be the first time they have faced each other in the FA Cup.
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Fulham have progressed to the fourth round from 12 of their past 15 FA Cup third-round ties..
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Whites boss Marco Silva has won all five of his FA Cup third round matches as a manager - twice with Fulham and once with Hull City, Watford and Everton.
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Rotherham are without a win in their past 17 FA Cup away games against top-flight opponents (D5 L12), since a 3-1 win at Newcastle United in January 1953..
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Rotherham are looking to reach the FA Cup fourth round for the first time since the 2001-02 campaign. They have gone out at this stage 12 times since then, including in the past five seasons.
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Source Oliver Thomas at SportsMole