Fulham vs Tottenham Hotspur
12th plays fifth at Craven Cottage on Saturday when Premier League Fulham vs Tottenham will break the tranquillity at this picturesque site on the River Thames.
The Cottage is a beautiful ground but it can be bouncing too, and Fulham fans have had plenty to cheer about over recent seasons. Marco Silva led them to promotion and then a top ten finish, and the Cottagers are in comfortable mid table again. But on Saturday they face a team with a stack of ambition, quality and a crystal clear focus on winning a top four place.
Ange Postecoglou’s side were on fire over the opening ten games of the campaign and ran away with the lead at the top of the table. Injuries and loss of momentum saw the Whites drift out of the title race but they are on their way back.
Tottenham displayed their top four credentials in a convincing win away to Aston Villa last week while the Cottagers went down to Wolves by the odd goal in three. The pre-match Fulham vs Tottenham betting odds are pointing to an away win and that would be enough to fire Spurs back into the Champions League places.
Talking Points
Iwobi’s hot form continues
The Cottagers have found good form throughout the campaign but have struggled for consistency, and in their match against Wolves they fell short as Gary O Neil’s side edged it with a first half lead thanks to Rayan Ait-Nouri and a Tom Cairney own goal. Tosin Adarabioyo was inches away for Fulham but his effort cannoned off the crossbar and Alex Iwobi’s 98th minute strike served only as a consolation.
The former Arsenal man was voted Fulham’s man of the match and it was the second time in recent weeks he has bagged a late goal, scoring a stunning winner in Fulham’s 2-1 win away to Manchester United. Iwobi’s clever finish against Wolves was his sixth goal of the campaign, his best return in a Premier League season and, by adding goals to his pace and trickery, he has become a serious threat to opposition defences.
This is a team with multiple attacking options: Rodrigo Muniz and Bobby Reid have five goals, as has the injured Raul Jimenez, while Andrea Pereira has six assists, the ever improving Antonee Robinson has five and wide man Harry Wilson has four. They will need to take their chances against Spurs because their opponents will arrive in West London with all guns blazing.
Tottenham find a ruthless streak
For so long the term ‘Spursy’ has denoted a soft underbelly and a habit of choking on the big occasions. It may be a little cruel but there is some justification for a club which hasn’t won anything for over 15 years and famously let Leicester City in for their 5000-1 Premier League triumph in 2016.
But those days may just have disappeared as Tottenham were anything but ‘Spursy’ in their demolition of Aston Villa last week. They started the day well adrift of the Villains but finished it within touching distance. Villa midfielder John McGinn was sent off but Spurs were already two up, through James Maddison and Brennan Johnson, and Heung-Min Son and Timo Werner doubled the score in added time.
Son now has 14 goals and eight assists and that is some return considering his absence at the Asian Cup, and if his form continues Spurs will be a match for anyone. The battle for the title is a three horse race but Tottenham have put themselves in a great position to be the best of the rest, and they will do all they can to reach that top four spot by Saturday evening.
Another key player is centre back Micky Van de Roon and Spurs are sweating on his fitness after he picked up a hamstring injury during the win over Villa. His pace and positioning make De Roon a highly effective operator and he is quick to join the Spurs attack when he can. He’ll be assessed as the week goes on but Tottenham fans will be praying De Roon makes it.
History
Recent Fulham vs Tottenham results have gone the way of Spurs, who have won the last four league meetings between the sides, including a 2-0 victory on home turf back in October as Son and Maddison scored either side of half time.
The Cottagers did put Spurs out of the Carabao Cup on penalties but that was a rare success in this fixture. Tottenham have won 22 of the 39 meetings this century and Fulham last beat them at Craven Cottage in 2011.
Current form favours the Whites too, with four wins, one draw and one defeat from the last six, compared to Fulham’s three wins, one draw and two defeats.
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