After a loss at the hands of Manchester United, Spurs probably wouldn't have prayed for any opponent other than Fulham to get back to winning ways. Fulham have been awful throughout the season winning just three matches in the entire Premier League. Without Harry Kane and Son, Tottenham might look weak at the front and Fulham might see this as an opportunity to get past Spurs but make no mistake, Spurs still have a powerful front line with the likes of Dele Alli, Christian Erikson and Fernando Llorente capable of going past any defense in the world.
TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR
Tottenham need a win to stay close to the top two teams and they will have to manage a win without their two best players, Harry Kane and Son Hueng-Min. Kane is out due to an injury while Son is performing his national duty by playing in the Asia Cup. However Spurs possess plenty of goal scorers who just need an opportunity to show their skill. Spurs have lost two matches out of last five but before that, they won four matches in a row and scored plenty of goals.
Impact Players and Team News
In the absence of Kane and Son, Spurs will look to Dele Alli and Christian Erikson to score a few goals and get them over the line. Christian Erikson has scored six goals accompanied with eight assists this season and he has looked very good throughout the season making every opportunity count. Dele Alli on the other hand has also scored six goals but has been through a quite phase lately. This is probably the best chance for him to score a goal or two to boost his confidence. Fernando Llorente will also play a key role in the if he plays as he has recently scored a hat-trick in FA cup.
Harry Kane is set to miss this match due to injury along with Son who is playing for his country at the moment. Apart from these two, Lucas Moura, Victor Wanyama and Moussa Sissiko are also sidelined.
FULHAM
Fulham have just won twice in the last 18 games across all competitions. The defence of Fulham hasn't been good at all, they have kept leaking goals. They lost against Burnley recently without conceding a single shot on target but they scored two own goals were scored by Fulham. They lost against against Oldham in the FA Cup which was a shocker. Their struggle continues this season and I don't see any chance for them today to end their misery.
Impact Players and Team News
Aleksandar Mitrovic might have missed the penalty against Oldham but he still is their top scorer and by chance if Fulham manage to score a goal, his possibility of scoring the goal will be more. Another player who will be crucial for Fulham is their goalkeeper Sergio Rico. Tottenham have their two impact players missing and Rico needs to just make a few good saves to put pressure on Tottenham.
Claudio Ranieri will have almost a full strength squad to choose from with just Alfie Mawson being out for some time. Andre Zambo might return against Spurs after suffering from an ankle injury.
HEAD to HEAD
The two teams have played 97 matches between them and Spurs have been dominant with 50 wins out of the total fixtures. Fulham have managed to win 18 while there have been 29 draws prior to this match.
RECENT BATTLES
Apr 19 2014 : Tottenham Hotspur 3-1 Fulham
Feb 19 2017 : Tottenham Hotspur 3-0 Fulham
Aug 18 2018 : Tottenham Hotspur 3-1 Fulham
PREDICTION
Given the past record and the form of the two teams, it looks highly unlikely for Fulham to even score a goal. Spurs might have their best players missing but they still possess players who can score plenty of goals. I am predicting a score of 4-0 in favor of Spurs.
Let me know your thoughts and predictions as well in the comments section.
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