Marco Silva’s Fulham are all set to host Tottenham Hotspur at the Craven Cottage in the second round of the EFL Cup.
In the second round of the EFL Cup, Fulham will square up against Tottenham Hotspur. It is arguably the biggest game of this round as two top Premier League teams go head-to-head. The Craven Cottage will play host to this high-voltage fixture on Tuesday evening.
Fulham have had a decent start to the new Premier League season. They have accumulated four points in their three outings and are currently 12th on the points table. While the overall, start looks decent, their only win came on the first matchday, post which they have not been convincing enough.
The Cottagers are heading into this cup fixture on the back of a 2-2 draw in the Premier League. They managed to snatch a point from the Gunners despite being a man down. The draw might not be that great a result. But given the circumstances and the opposition, it would have surely given them a lot of confidence.
Meanwhile, Tottenham Hotspur look like a well-oiled outfit under Ange Postecoglou. Everyone expected them to struggle for goals because of the departure of Harry Kane. But, it seems the Australian manager has found a way out and they have been off to a great start in the new season.
Spurs have seven points in three matches, and they are currently third on the points table. They have scored two goals in each of their Premier League matches. After playing out a disappointing draw against Brentford in the first outing, they have won 2-0 against Manchester United and Bournemouth.
Postecoglou’s men will be confident of getting the job done against Fulham. But, Marco Silva’s men will surely give it their all to create an upset early on in the EFL Cup. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at both the squads and tries to predict the tactics they could use.
Team News & Tactics
Fulham
Marco Silva will be without the services of Calvin Bassey, who was sent off in their last outing against Arsenal. Meanwhile, there are doubts over the availability of Willian, and he is unlikely to be risked. The positive for Fulham will be the return of Tim Ream, who is back after serving his suspension and is expected to make it into the playing XI.
Who else can't stop watching João's celebration? 😅 pic.twitter.com/9WjTuQB26A
— Fulham Football Club (@FulhamFC) August 28, 2023
Silva is expected to make quite a few changes to the XI that took the field in their Premier League outing against Arsenal. Marek Rodak will be in goal as the Cottagers will line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation.
Kevin Mbabu and Antonee Robinson could be the full-back pairing for this outing. In the heart of the defence, we could see Tosin Adarabioyo pair up with Ream. The back four will have a tough task at their hands of stopping Spurs’ high-flying attack.
Harrison Reed will pair up with Sasa Lukic in the centre of the park. The duo will form the double pivot and they will look to dictate the pace of this game. Tom Cairney could be seen in the attacking midfielder role. Meanwhile, new signing Adama Traore and Harry Wilson will feature out wide on the flanks. They will look to stretch the opposition defence and supply balls to their striker Carlos Vinicius.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Rodak; Mbabu, Adarabioyo, Ream, Robinson; Reed, Lukic; Traore, Cairney, Wilson; Vinicius
Tottenham Hotspur
Ange Postecoglou will be without the services of quite a few players. The likes of Tanguy Ndombele, Rodrigo Bentancur, Ryan Sessegnon, Bryan Gil and Alfie Whiteman are all out injured. Meanwhile, there are doubts about the availability of Destiny Udogie as he recently picked up a knock.
Our captain 🤍 pic.twitter.com/7TWC0B7RVI
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) August 28, 2023
The Australian manager will also make a number of changes to the XI that started against Bournemouth. In a 4-3-3, Fraser Forster could be seen in goal. Emerson Royal and Ben Davies could start out wide in defence as the full-backs. While their primary task will be to defend, the duo are expected to be high up the pitch in the opposition half.
Davinson Sanchez could feature in the heart of the defence alongside new signing Micky van de Ven. Oliver Skipp, Giovani Lo Celso and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg will be the three in the centre of the park. Skipp is expected to be in a bit more defensive role while Lo Celso and Hojbjerg will look to contribute at both ends.
Ivan Perisic could start on the left flank and on the right we could see former Fulham player Manor Solomon star. With Kane no longer at the club, Richarlison has taken over the central role and he is expected to start in their EFL Cup fixture.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Forster; Emerson, Sanchez, Van de Ven, Davies; Hojbjerg, Skipp, Lo Celso; Perisic, Richarlison, Solomon
Key Stats
- Fulham have only won two out of the 20 matches against Tottenham Hotspur.
- Tottenham Hotspur have won the three last fixtures against the Cottagers.
- Fulham’s last win against Spurs came back in 2013.
- The Cottagers have lost each of their last five home games against Tottenham.
- Spurs have won 15 out of the 20 outings against the Cottagers.
Player to Watch
Richarlison
The 26-year-old Brazil international has not had the best of times since joining Tottenham Hotspur. He made the move to the North London club last summer from Everton and has since been involved in a total of 38 matches and only has seven goal contributions.
Richarlison will be used up top as a striker this season and he has already featured in that role in all three of their Premier League fixture. But, he has not managed to find the back of the net yet. The 26-year-old will be eager to prove himself and this EFL Cup fixture could be a great opportunity for him to get things going.
Prediction
Fulham 0-2 Tottenham Hotspur
Fulham started off the new season with a win. But post that, things have not really gone according to plan. The 2-2 draw against Arsenal last time out will surely give them a boost heading into this encounter against Spurs. But they still might not have enough firepower in their ranks.
Tottenham are flying him in the new season with back-to-back 2-0 wins over Manchester United and Bournemouth. They have been doing everything right under their new boss and are expected to get it done against Fulham. The Hard Tackle predicts another 2-0 win for Spurs.
