Fulham vs Tottenham – Match Preview
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The second of two Premier League London derbies this weekend takes us to Craven Cottage as relegation battling Fulham play host to a Tottenham side who have had their wings clipped in terms of the title race.
Mauricio Pochettino’s men ceded further ground to both Liverpool and Manchester City last weekend after a home defeat to Manchester United, but even that is not their worse of their problems right now.
That’s because Harry Kane limped off with an injury at the final whistle of Sunday’s clash with what looks like a recurrence of the ankle issues that have unfortunately plagued him for the last couple of seasons.
Not only that but with Hueng min-Son now representing South Korea at the Asian Cup it makes Tottenham’s attacking threat incredibly nullified, something that will have Fulham manager Claudio Ranieri breathing a sigh of relief.
Last weekend both clubs had the kind of displays where it was never going to be their day, for Tottenham it was the siege that they laid at the door of David De Gea. Try as they might they could not kick it down as the United ‘keeper made save after save in second half.
While for Fulham they suffered defeat to Burnley, that in itself is not necessarily remarkable but the manner in which they did was. That’s because after taking the lead early on through a fantastic Andre Schurrle effort, things then took a turn for the bizarre.
They conceded not one but two own goals in quick succession, that in itself would have been frustrating enough for the Fulham fans who made the long trip up to Lancashire. However, when you consider that Burnley did not even have a shot on goal in the whole game then it was all the more galling for them.
That defeat means that Fulham are still second bottom in the Premier League table, but their plight has worsened with them now being five points clear from safety with only a recent win over basement side Huddersfield offering them any real respite.
They will hope that Tottenham’s threadbare squad stutters in West London, something that they cannot really afford to do when you consider that Chelsea are currently breathing down their necks in the battle for third place.
Not only that, but a win for the Blues against Arsenal nearly 24 hours before will see Maurizio Sarri’s men leapfrog their crosstown rivals, a scenario that will only heap more pressure on a Spurs side who will be without their goalscoring talisman.
Their only saving grace is the fact that Fulham have been shipping goals all over the place this season and even with a second string attacking setup, Tottenham will still be confident that the likes of Dele Alli and Christian Eriksen can chip in with some goals.
If that is the case then Tottenham should be able to grind out a win at Craven Cottage, if it isn’t do not be too surprised if Fulham manage to earn themselves at least a very welcome point indeed. This is going to be a very interesting clash come Sunday afternoon.
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