Fulham and Tottenham Hotspur will aim to return to winning ways in the Premier League when they face off at Craven Cottage on Sunday.
Gameweek 29 of the 2024/25 Premier League season will end on Sunday, which will feature three games. The action on the day will start with two simultaneous matches — Fulham vs Tottenham Hotspur at Craven Cottage and Arsenal vs Chelsea at the Emirates.
Fulham might be a contender to qualify for a European competition in the 2024/25 season, even though they have blown hot and cold in recent weeks. The Cottagers have lost two of their last three Premier League games, although they are only five points behind fifth-placed Manchester City. So, a solid end to the 2024/25 season might lead to European qualification.
On the other hand, 2024/25 has been a dreadful campaign for Tottenham Hotspur, with the North London club struggling in the Premier League. The Lilywhites have no chance of securing qualification to a European competition, even though they are mathematically in contention.
However, their form has improved in the last few weeks, with Tottenham losing only once in five top-flight outings. In addition, Ange Postecoglou’s men reached the UEFA Europa League quarter-finals earlier this week by overcoming a first-leg deficit against AZ Alkmaar.
The reverse fixture saw Fulham come from a goal down to hold Tottenham Hotspur to a 1-1 draw. Tom Cairney scored the equaliser before seeing red in the final minutes of regulation time. The Hard Tackle looks closer at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Fulham
Marco Silva has greeted a positive update on the team news front ahead of his side’s latest fixture. The Fulham manager will be bereft of the services of four first-team players vs Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.
Adama Traore is fit and available after recovering from an ankle injury. So, Kenny Tete (knee), Harry Wilson (foot), and Reiss Nelson (hamstring) are the only players on the sidelines, while Sasa Lukic finishes his suspension.
Bernd Leno will take his spot between the sticks, with Fulham lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him vs Tottenham Hotspur. The backline should feature Timothy Castagne, Joachim Andersen, Calvin Bassey, and Antonee Robinson.
As for the midfield unit, Andreas Pereira should line up alongside Sander Berge in the double pivot. Emile Smith Rowe will reprise the no. 10 role, with Alex Iwobi and the fit-again Adama Traore being the two wide attackers. Finally, Raul Jimenez will likely lead the line for Fulham against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Leno; Castagne, Andersen, Bassey, Robinson; Pereira, Berge; Traore, Smith Rowe, Iwobi; Jimenez
Tottenham Hotspur
Like his counterpart in the Fulham dugout, Ange Postecoglou has no new issues to worry about ahead of the trip to Craven Cottage. The Tottenham Hotspur manager will be without four first-team players on Sunday.
Postecoglou was sweating over Lucas Bergvall’s fitness after the youngster suffered from cramps in the UEFA Europa League clash with AZ Alkmaar. However, the Swedish midfielder should be fit and available to take on Fulham, leaving Kevin Danso (hamstring), Radu Dragusin (knee), Richarlison (calf), and Dejan Kulusevski (foot) on the sidelines.
Guglielmo Vicario is an automatic pick between the sticks, with Tottenham Hotspur lining up in a 4-3-3 formation in front of him vs Fulham on Sunday. The backline should feature Pedro Porro, Cristian Romero, Archie Gray, and Destiny Udogie, with Micky van de Ven getting some rest.
As for the midfield unit, James Maddison should line up alongside Rodrigo Bentancur and Pape Matar Sarr in the middle of the park. Finally, Dominic Solanke will likely spearhead the Tottenham Hotspur attack against Fulham, with Son Heung-min and Wilson Odobert completing the numbers in the offensive trifecta.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Vicario; Porro, Romero, Gray, Udogie; Bentancur, Sarr, Maddison; Odobert, Solanke, Son
Key Stats
- Fulham are unbeaten in two top-flight games vs Tottenham Hotspur (W1 D1), having lost 14 of the previous 16 clashes before this run. The Cottagers will aim to win successive Premier League home games against Tottenham for the first time in 19 years.
- Fulham have won only one of their last seven Premier League games at Craven Cottage (D4 L2). The Cottagers have lost their two most recent London derbies, losing at home to Crystal Palace in February and away to West Ham United in January.
- Tottenham Hotspur will aim to win three consecutive Premier League away games for the first time since November 2020. However, the Lilywhites have lost their last five Premier League matches immediately before an international break, including a 3-0 loss at Fulham last March.
- Premier League matches involving Tottenham have produced the most goals this season, averaging 3.4 strikes per game.
- Rodrigo Muniz scored twice the last time Fulham and Tottenham Hotspur faced off at Craven Cottage in a 3-0 Premier League victory.
Player to Watch
Wilson Odobert
While Dominic Solanke, Son Heung-min, Alex Iwobi, and Raul Jimenez were viable candidates for this section, we have picked Wilson Odobert as the Player to Watch for Sunday’s Premier League game between Fulham and Tottenham Hotspur. The youngster is coming into this match on the back of a memorable outing against AZ Alkmaar.
Odobert scored his first Tottenham goals in the midweek UEFA Europa League win over AZ Alkmaar. The 20-year-old winger became the youngest Tottenham player to score twice in a major European game since Chris McGrath against Aberdeen in November 1973. The youngster will be eager to make up for lost time when the two London clubs face off on Sunday.
Prediction
Fulham 2-2 Tottenham Hotspur
Sunday’s game at Craven Cottage features two teams with vastly different objectives in the Premier League this term. While Fulham can qualify for a European competition after keeping pace with the top teams in the division, Tottenham will likely focus on the UEFA Europa League to reach next season’s UEFA Champions League.
In addition, Ange Postecoglou’s charges might be tired after their European excursions earlier this week. So, Fulham should take advantage of that and put the away side under pressure. However, Tottenham’s improving performances in the final third means there might not be much to separate the teams. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 draw for Sunday’s London derby.
