Stoke vs Fulham Prediction & Betting Tips (15 February)

Stoke’s return to FA Cup duty at the bet365 Stadium comes at a tricky moment in their season. Since the turn of the year they have struggled for rhythm in the Championship, drawing 0-0 away at West Brom on 7 February 2026 and losing 2-0 at home to Southampton on 31 January after a 1-1 trip to Birmingham a week earlier. The one real high point was their 1-0 home win over Coventry in the third round on 10 January, which secured this fourth‑round tie. Those recent results, together with the narrow 1-2 home defeat to Middlesbrough on 21 January, paint a picture of a side that is organised but short of cutting edge in the final third.

Even so, Stoke will look at their home record and the backing of a full crowd as reasons to believe they can unsettle a Premier League opponent. The goalless draw with QPR on 17 January underlined their defensive resilience, but also highlighted how often promising build‑up play fizzles out before the final pass. Supporters will hope that the lessons from the loss to Southampton—already dissected in detail in the build‑up to Fulham—have been absorbed, particularly in terms of defending crosses and set pieces. If Stoke can raise their intensity without losing structure, this could become a far more uncomfortable afternoon for the visitors than the league tables suggest.

Fulham arrive in Staffordshire with a very different recent storyline, shaped by demanding Premier League fixtures and a busy January. They edged Chelsea 2-1 at Craven Cottage on 7 January, then swept Middlesbrough aside 3-1 in their own FA Cup third‑round tie on 10 January, before a narrow 0-1 defeat away to Leeds on 17 January. Since then, they have beaten Brighton 2-1 at home on 24 January, pushed Manchester United hard in a 3-2 loss at Old Trafford on 1 February, and most recently slipped to a 2-1 home defeat against Everton on 7 February. That run shows both their attacking threat and a tendency to leave the back door slightly open.

What may tilt this FA Cup tie is Fulham’s extra quality in forward areas and their comfort in high‑tempo games, something already evident in the build‑up to clashes such as Stoke and Stoke. If the visitors can move the ball quickly through midfield and exploit the spaces behind Stoke’s full‑backs, the hosts’ recent habit of conceding at key moments could be punished. With Fulham also buoyed by that strong January cup win over Middlesbrough—mirrored in coverage like Stoke—the balance of probabilities points towards an away success, and our preview leans towards a bold correct‑score call of 0:3 in favour of the London s