TOTTENHAM – FULHAM | Saturday 4pm
On Premier League derby day – Everton-Liverpool and Chelsea-West Ham are also being played almost simultaneously – the London derby between Tottenham and Fulham also stands out. Antonio Conte’s Spurs are one of three teams still unbeaten along with Manchester City and Arsenal. Ten goals scored, four conceded and eleven points in the table: numbers that for the moment are worth third place right behind the Gunners and Citizens.
There are plenty of reasons for the coach from Salento to smile: his men are off to a positive start, in line with expectations. Of course, it will be necessary to wait for more probing tests to be able to give definitive judgments. The calendar, in fact, so far has not reserved major pitfalls for Kane and his team-mates, impeccable against teams of medium and low rankings (Southampton, Wolverhampton and Nottingham Forest). Only two points against Chelsea (2-2) and West Ham (1-1), two direct competitors for a place in Europe. In the two away games, Spurs were perhaps over-played by their opponents, but in the end they managed to take away points on both occasions.
In Conte’s thoughts, from next week, there will also be the Champions League: in the English capital Marseille will be on the scene and it is legitimate to expect some changes in the formation. Fulham are therefore ready to take advantage of any distractions on the part of Spurs: the Cottagers are the newly promoted team that has scored the most points (8), the result of two draws and two victories. A surprising start from the men led by debutant Marco Silva. In the last round they beat a good Brighton 2-1: among the protagonists again the Serbian striker Mitrovic, who this time is likely to be a factor even upstairs.
Mitrovic
The Prediction
Tottenham slightly favoured for victory against a Fulham side who are likely to give them a run for their money, even in terms of play. A narrow victory for Spurs can’t be ruled out, but they will struggle to keep a clean sheet.
The Tottenham-Fulham matchday squad
- TOTTENHAM (3-4-3): Lloris; Sanchez, Dier, Davies; Emerson, Hojbjerg, Bentancur, Sessegnon; Richarlison, Kane, Son.
- FULHAM (4-2-3-1): Leno; Tete, Ream, Adarabioyo, Robinson; Reed, Palhinha; Decordova-Reid, Pereira, Kebano; Mitrovic.
POSSIBLE RESULT: 2-1
