Fulham-Tottenham is a match valid for the twenty-first day of the Premier League and is played on Monday at 21:00: TV, formations, predictions.
For once it was worth rejoicing over a win for the hated cousins. Yes, because Arsenal, by beating Manchester United 3-2 in yesterday afternoon’s big match, indirectly did a favour to their bitter rivals Tottenham, who in today’s post-match match have the chance to reduce the disadvantage towards the fourth place, occupied by the Red Devils and Newcastle.
A London derby that Antonio Conte’s Spurs have to win almost at all costs against Fulham in order to avoid being too far behind their direct competitors for qualification to the next Champions League. Tottenham currently have 33 points, six less than the United-Magpies pairing, who have barely scraped together a point this term. Spurs must show that they have softened the blow following the double defeat against Arsenal and Manchester City, two games that have confirmed the distance (and a lot of it) that currently exists between Kane and his team-mates and the first ones in the class. And according to the coach from Salento, the gap can only be closed by investing even more in the market, the only way to try and reduce the gap.
A great chance for Spurs
Between the two defeats, the one that hurt the most in any case was the 4-2 loss to the Citizens in the midweek rescheduled fixture, with Tottenham coming back within minutes of going two goals ahead. Guardiola’s stellar attack tested the most beaten defence among the Premier League’s top ten teams.
The newly-promoted Fulham have only two points less than Spurs and this is proof of the superlative championship the Cottagers are doing. The defeat they suffered last Sunday at home to Newcastle (1-0), their first since last November, was almost painless. Marco Silva’s side remain seventh in the Europa League and look set to win another derby after beating both Crystal Palace and Chelsea in the last month, avenging last September’s 2-1 defeat.
The Prediction
Fulham’s attack, one of the Cottagers’ main strengths, should not run out of steam again in front of a defence as far from solid as Tottenham’s. So the ingredients are in place for at least a one-goal game and more than two goals in total, with Spurs likely to struggle to take away the three points.
Fulham-Tottenham’s likely line-up
- FULHAM (4-3-3): Leno; Tete, Diop, Ream, Robinson; Palhinha, Reed; Decordova-Reid, Pereira, Willian; Mitrovic.
- TOTTENHAM (3-4-3): Lloris; Romero, Dier, Lenglet; Emerson, Hojbjerg, Bentancur, Sessegnon; Kulusevski, Kane, Richarlison.
POSSIBLE RESULT: 1-2
