Tottenham Hotspur will host Fulham at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday, eager to bounce back to winning ways after two successive defeats.
Tottenham Hotspur are coming into this game vs Fulham on the back of two consecutive defeats against Arsenal and PSG. It will be interesting to see if they can pick up all three points here.
Spurs have lost four of their last six matches in all competitions, and the home fans will be expecting a strong reaction from the players here. It will be interesting to see if Tottenham can step up their performance levels and get the job done. The Lilywhites are the better team, and they will be expected to grind out a positive result.
Meanwhile, Fulham have won three of their last four matches in all competitions. They will look to pull off an upset here. Tottenham have been vulnerable, and it remains to be seen whether Fulham can take advantage of that. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Tottenham Hotspur
Thomas Frank has multiple injury problems to deal with ahead of the visit of Everton. Yves Bissouma, Dejan Kulusevski, James Maddison, and Dominic Solanke are all long-term absentees for the home side. Meanwhile, Cristian Romero is suspended.
Tottenham Hotspur will shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation vs Fulham, with Guglielmo Vicario in goal. Pedro Porro and Destiny Udogie will start as the full-backs. They will look to help out defensively and contribute in the final third as well. Meanwhile, Kevin Danso will form the central defensive partnership alongside Micky van de Ven.
As for the midfield unit, Joao Palhinha will add defensive cover and physicality to the side alongside Archie Gray. The midfield duo will aim to keep things tight in the middle of the park.
Xavi Simons will reprise the attacking midfield role, and he will look to link the midfield with the attack. The Dutch playmaker will also look to open up opportunities for his teammates and find the back of the net. Mohammed Kudus and Richarlison will add pace, flair, and unpredictability from the flanks. Randal Kolo Muani will lead the line for Tottenham vs Fulham on Saturday.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Vicario; Porro, Danso, van de Ven, Udogie; Palhinha, Gray; Kudus, Simons, Richarlison; Kolo Muani
Fulham
Antonee Robinson (knee) and Rodrigo Muniz (hamstring) are expected to miss out this weekend. However, there is some good news, as Sasa Lukic is set to return after serving a suspension.
Fulham will shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation vs Tottenham Hotspur, with Bernd Leno in goal. Kenny Tete and Ryan Sessegnon will start as the full-backs here, and they will look to help the team at both ends of the pitch. Joachim Andersen will pair up alongside Calvin Bassey at the heart of the defence.
As for the midfield unit, Sander Berge and Sasa Lukic will add defensive cover and physicality in the middle of the park. They will look to break up the opposition’s attacking moves and win the ball back.
Joshua King will be the attacking midfielder here, and he will look to link the midfield with the attack. Adama Traore and Alex Iwobi will start on the flanks. They will look to add pace and flair to the side. Raul Jimenez will spearhead the Fulham attack vs Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Leno, Tete, Andersen, Bassey, Sessegnon, Berge, Lukic; Traore, King, Iwobi, Jimenez.
Key Stats
- Tottenham are undefeated in their last six home matches against Fulham in all competitions.
- Tottenham have lost four of the last six matches in all competitions.
- Fulham have won three of the last four matches in all competitions.
- 12 goals have been scored in the last six matches between these two teams.
- Tottenham have overperformed their expected goals more than any other side in the Premier League this season, netting almost nine goals more than their xG suggests (20 goals, 11.2 xG). Their 0.07 against Arsenal last time out was their lowest xG in a Premier League game since September 2021 (0.06 v Crystal Palace).
Player to Watch
Randal Kolo Muani
The French international was quite impressive in the UEFA Champions League during the midweek, and Tottenham will expect him to step up and produce another strong performance here.
The hosts are lacking in goals and creativity in the final third. It will be interesting to see if the 26-year-old can produce a strong performance and help his team pick up all three points. Kolo Muani is capable of creating chances for his teammates, and he will look to find the back of the net as well. He is our player to watch out for this week.
Prediction
Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 Fulham
Both teams will be looking to pick up all three points here, and this is likely to be a cracking contest. Neither team will want to end up on the losing side. Neither side has been particularly good defensively, and there will be plenty of chances on offer here.
This will be an open contest with a fair few goals. Both teams are likely to get on the score here, but Tottenham have more quality and depth in the side. They should be able to pick up a narrow victory here. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 win for Thomas Frank and his charges.
