London rivals Fulham and Tottenham Hotspur close out this weekend's action at Craven Cottage on Monday night, with nothing separating them in the Premier League standings after 20 games. In their most recent meeting, Marco Silva's team lost late to Newcastle United 1-0, while the guests' midweek setback to Manchester City 4-2 left them regretting individual errors.
In the Premier League standings, Fulham is now in seventh place and has performed better than expected thus far this year. The Cottagers lost to Newcastle United by a score of 1-0 in their most recent match, and they'll be looking to avenge that loss this weekend.Conversely, Tottenham Hotspur, who are now in fifth position in the league table, have not played at their best this year. The North London team has everything to prove in this match after losing to Manchester City 4-2 last time out.
Fulham vs Tottenham Hotspur Match Preview
Aleksandar Mitrovic, an ex-Magpies striker, came within 12 yards of giving his St James' Park comeback a memorable one as Fulham held off Newcastle before being given a disputed penalty in the second half.
Naturally, Mitrovic stepped up to the spot, but the Serbian embarrassingly touched the ball twice as he slipped over to score, resulting in the effort being ruled out. Marco Silva then watched as Alexander Isak came off the bench to head Newcastle into the lead with 89 minutes left in the game.
The seventh-place Cottagers are only two points behind Spurs and one behind Brighton & Hove Albion, who could only draw with Leicester, so a top-five finish is still very much possible for Fulham on Monday.
The Cottagers' five-game winning streak since the start of domestic play came to an end against Newcastle, but Silva's team is showing they can compete with Champions League contenders as they host Spurs to Craven Cottage less than two weeks after beating Chelsea at home.
They showed plenty of fight, but it's defeat for #FFCU21s. 😞 pic.twitter.com/t7MG2yLeAw
— Fulham Football Club (@FulhamFC) January 22, 2023
Only Manchester United and Newcastle have defeated the Cottagers at home this season; some may even consider Silva's team to be the favourites for Monday's meeting. Fulham hasn't won three straight home games in the Premier League since 2012.
At the Etihad Stadium, Tottenham made a number of mistakes in the second half after taking advantage of Man City's defensive miscues in the first 45 minutes, unable to capitalise on the advantages given to Dejan Kulusevski and Emerson Royal right before the break.
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Riyad Mahrez, Julian Alvarez, and Erling Braut Haaland gave the winners the lead inside just 18 minutes of the second half, and the former added a second just before the buzzer to end a thrilling six-goal duel.Conte's team is still in the top of the Premier League despite losing their third game in a row. Conte laments the "many, many mistakes" his team is making.
Conte's team is still in the top five after Brighton lost to Leicester, and the distance to fourth-placed Newcastle United is now six points following the Magpies' goalless draw against Crystal Palace. Conte lamented the fact that his team is making "many, many mistakes" after losing their third Premier League game in four since the start of the year.
Spurs have only won one of their past five Premier League games, but that triumph came away from home in a London derby against Crystal Palace, when the Lilywhites thrashed the Eagles 4-0 at Selhurst Park. The Lilywhites have now scored at least two goals in four straight away Premier League games.
The Lilywhites have won each of their last six Premier League games at Craven Cottage, while Conte's team narrowly defeated Fulham 2-1 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium earlier this season. However, prior victories will mean nothing if Spurs' shaky defence cannot tighten up quickly.
Fulham vs Tottenham Hotspur Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
Tottenham Hotspur and Fulham have played 101 games together, with 53 triumphs for Tottenham Hotspur and 18 victories for Fulham. The last time Fulham defeated Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League, it was by a score of 1-0 back in 2013. Since then, Fulham has lost 12 of their last 14 games against Tottenham. Tottenham Hotspur has defeated Fulham on the road six times in a row, and the only team they have a worse record against is Aston Villa. Fulham has never won four such games in a single Premier League season, but they have won three of their six London derbies this year.
Only one of Tottenham Hotspur's last 11 away London derbies in the Premier League have they won. For the first time since September 2012, Fulham wants to win three straight home games in the Premier League.
Previously at Craven Cottage ⏪
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) January 22, 2023
📈 @HSBC_Sport pic.twitter.com/0j16UqdFwq
Fulham vs Tottenham Hotspur Team News
With no new injury concerns following their journey to the North East, Fulham will be happy to have Antonee Robinson back after serving a one-game suspension. Robinson will take the place of Layvin Kurzawa at left back.
Neeskens Kebano's Achilles injury keeps him out for the foreseeable future, and Shane Duffy needs to get checked out after getting sick, but Silva won't want to make any changes to his team following an eight-day break.
Carlos Vinicius will take a seat on the bench against his former team as Mitrovic, who has scored in all four of his Premier League London derbies this season, was preferred over Tosin Adarabioyo at Newcastle and can feel secure in keeping his place after a competent performance.
The only player guaranteed to miss Monday's game for Tottenham is long-term tendon victim Lucas Moura, and Bryan Gil is questionable after suffering an injury.
A few adjustments should be made for the Lilywhites as Conte has acknowledged that he will need to evaluate Rodrigo Bentancur and Dejan Kulusevski, who showed indications of weariness on Thursday after only returning from an injury.
Richarlison is a candidate to fill in for the underwhelming Son Heung-min, while Ivan Perisic should make way for Ryan Sessegnon after a forgettable evening at the Etihad.
Fulham vs Tottenham Hotspur Prediction
To qualify for the UEFA Champions League, Tottenham Hotspur must overcome their tendency to flatter to deceive this season. In this match, Antonio Conte will need to make the most of the talented players at his disposal.
Fulham possible starting lineup: Leno; Tete, Diop, Ream, Robinson; Palhinha, Reed; Decordova-Reid, Pereira, Willian; Mitrovic
Tottenham Hotspur possible starting lineup: Lloris; Romero, Dier, Lenglet; Emerson, Hojbjerg, Bentancur, Sessegnon; Kulusevski, Kane, Richarlison
Prediction: Fulham 2-2 Tottenham Hotspur
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