Fulham will welcome Tottenham Hotspur at Craven Cottage in the Premier League on Saturday evening.
Spurs enjoyed a stellar start to this season under Ange Postecoglou’s guidance, but they have failed to continue their momentum, sitting fifth in the league with 53 points from 27 games.
The Lilywhites’ primary objective for this term is seemingly to finish in the top-four and secure their place in the Champions League next season. They are currently only two points behind the fourth-placed Aston Villa with a game in hand. So, if they can beat the Cottagers this weekend then they will be able to get past the Villans.
However, fifth place could be enough to play in the new Champions League format next season. But, the North London club would be desperate to finish in the top-four ahead of Aston Villa.
Spurs will be coming into this game following an empathic 4-0 victory over Unai Emery’s side. So, they will be full of confidence ahead of Saturday’s game.
On the other hand, Fulham started the season slowly but they have managed to climb up the table after accumulating a few crucial victories in recent times. They are currently in mid-table just behind Chelsea.
Fulham will be coming into this game off the back of a disappointing 2-1 defeat against Wolverhampton Wanderers. So, they will be desperate to return to winning ways by beating Spurs in this fixture.
Previous meetings
Tottenham have enjoyed a great time against Fulham in the Premier League as the Cottagers have been winless versus them for over a decade.
Spurs won the last four consecutive league fixtures against Fulham and they will be hoping to continue their dominance over the West London club in this fixture as well.
How to watch
The game will kick off at 5:30 PM UK time and the match will be televised live on Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Premier League and Sky Sports Ultra HDR.
Fans who want to follow all the action in person at Craven Cottage can buy tickets through the clubs or via a ticket marketplace.
Team news
Raul Jimenez was sidelined with an injury problem over the last few weeks but he is likely to return for this game. However, he might not start and could be among the substitutes. So, the West London club will have a full-fit squad in this encounter.
As for Spurs, they have struggled with several injury issues throughout the season and they will be without a few key players this weekend as well. Manor Solomon and Ryan Sessegnon have been sidelined with their respective problems so they aren’t in contention to feature in this fixture.
Micky van de Ven sustained an issue in the last game against Aston Villa and was taken off early in the second half. So it is likely that he will have to sit out over the coming weeks and therefore, he will be unavailable this Saturday.
Richarlison was out injured in the previous few games but there’s a possibility he could return. So, it remains to be seen whether the South American features in this encounter or not.
Predicted line-up
Marco Silva is likely to go with his preferred 4-2-3-1 formation in this encounter with Bernd Leno set to be in goal for the hosts. Tosin Adarabioyo could be paired up with Calvin Bassey at the heart of the defence, while Timothy Castagne and Antonee Robinson will be the two fullbacks.
João Palhinha is expected to be in the holding midfield position and alongside the Portuguese, Harrison Reed should be in the engine room, pushing Andreas Pereira in the attacking midfield position.
Willian should be in the left-wing position, while Harry Wilson might be on the opposition flank. Rodrigo Muniz is set to lead the line for the West London club.
Expected Fulham line-up vs Tottenham
Leno; Castagne, Adarabioyo, Bassey, Robinson; Palhinha, Reed; Willian, Pereira, Wilson; Muniz
As for Tottenham, Ange Postecoglou is also expected to field his side in the 4-2-3-1 formation. Guglielmo Vicario should be between the sticks for the visitors and in front of the Italian, Cristian Romero and Radu Dragusin should start in defence amid Van de Ven’s absence. Pedro Porro is set to be in the right-back position, while Destiny Udogie could be on the opposite side.
Pape Matar Sarr should be in the midfield pivot position alongside Yves Bissouma and in front of them, James Maddison is likely to be in the attacking midfield position.
Brennan Johnson could start in the left-wing role with Dejan Kulusevski on the opposite side. Son Heung-Min is set to lead the line for the North London club if Richarlison remains sidelined for this fixture.
Expected Tottenham line-up vs Fulham
Vicario; Porro, Romero, Dragusin, Udogie; Bissouma, Sarr; Johnson, Maddison, Kulusevski; Son
Key players
Muniz has been in fine form in recent times and he has managed to fill the void of Jimenez. Therefore, the West London club will be hoping that the Brazilian will be able to help his side win this game by putting his name on the score-sheet.
Palhinha is the driving force of Fulham and if he can play at his best then the hosts’ chance of winning this game will increase.
Postecoglou likes to play an attacking brand of football. So, the Cottagers’ backline will come under a lot of pressure this weekend. Therefore, Fulham’s back four and the goalkeeper, Leno will also have to display their best to repel the opposition attack and keep a clean-sheet.
For Tottenham, Son has established himself as a talismanic figure for Postecoglou’s side this term following the departure of Harry Kane. The South Korean is the club captain and the responsibility will be on him to guide his team to victory in this encounter in order to maintain the top-four charge.
Maddison is the main creative player for Tottenham so the onus will be on him to create opportunities for the attackers and finish those off if he gets any. The former Leicester City star managed to put his name on the score-sheet last time out so he will be full of confidence ahead of this fixture.
Prediction
Tottenham will be coming into this game as a big favourite but Fulham have established themselves as a very competitive team under Silva’s guidance in recent years. So, it won’t be easy for the visitors to come away with all three points from this fixture.
However, Spurs are currently in the top-four race and Man Utd are right behind them at the moment so they wouldn’t want to slip up and allow the Red Devils to close the gap.
Therefore, the North London club won’t be thinking of anything but a victory from this fixture, however, it is going to be interesting to see how the game eventually unfolds this weekend. Fulham 1-3 Tottenham
