Fulham vs Tottenham Hotspur 21/01/19

21 January 2019

Fulham welcome a notably weakened Tottenham Hotspur team to the Craven Cottage, looking to take advantage of the absences of Harry Kane and Heung-min Son.

Claudio Ranieri’s players have been struggling to escape the danger zone since day one, as they trail the safe territory by five points. Having lost all of their last three competitive outings, the Cottagers are facing a new crisis. Fulham’s principal problem relates to their wayward defensive displays that have seen them concede 19 goals in the opening ten PL home outings this term, allowing over 1.5 goals per match six times in the process. Although lost just one of their previous four home PL clashes, the returnees have scored one goal or less in each game. The Lilly Whites seem helpless in the final third, having failed to score over 1.5 goals per match in their last ten competitive encounters, struggling to hit the target three times in that period.

Meanwhile, the visitors are looking to bounce back from an unfortunate 1-0 home loss to Manchester United and prevent fifth-placed Arsenal from closing the gap (7 points). Remaining the only team in the English top tier that is yet to play out a draw, the Spurs have won ten of their 12 road games this campaign, suffering two defeats in the process. Their tally of 28 scored goals away from home is the Premier League’s highest, with Mauricio Pochettino’s men bagging over 1.5 goals per match nine times so far. Although they’ve managed to keep a clean sheet on six road trips ahead of this round, the Spurs have conceded 12 goals, allowing over 1.5 goals per match on four occasions.

Provisional line-up – Fulham:

Gk: Sergio Rico Defense: Christie – Denis Odoi – Le Marchand – Tim Ream – Joe Bryan Midfield: Chambers – Serri Attack: Sessegnong – Schurrle – Mitrovic

Provisional line-up – Tottenham Hotspur:

Gk: Lloris Defense: Ben Davies – Vertonghen – Alderweireld – Trippier Midfield: Winks – Eriksen – Dele Alli – Lamela Attack: Lucas Moura – Fernando Llorente