- Oct 17, 2006
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FULHAM 0-1 SPURS
Adarabioyo (og)
Adarabioyo (og)
Spurs: Lloris (c), Doherty, Alderwerield, Sanchez, Davies, Hojbjerg, Ndombele (Lamela), Bale (Lucas), Dele (Sissoko), Son, Kane.
Subs: Hart, Tanganga, Dier, Reguilon, Winks, Vinicius.
Fulham: Areola, Andersen (c), Loftus-Cheek, Adarabioyo, Cavaleiro, Lemina, Lookman, Reed, Maja, Robinson, Aina.
Subs: Fabri, Tete, Mitrovic, Ream, Decordova-Reid, Bryan, Onomah, Anguissa, Kongolo.
Official Site Match Centre
Three changes to the team that started against Burnley on Sunday. Our full-backs are switched, so Matt Doherty and Ben Davies come in for Serge Aurier and Sergio Reguilon, while Dele is back for his second Premier League start of the season in place of Lucas.
REFEREE: ------ David Coote ???????
TEAM FORM: --Fulham - DWDWD --------- Spurs LWLWW ------ (All Competitions)
Fulham and their new-found defensive resilience prepare to meet us side who have rediscovered our goal scoring touch in Thursday's London derby. The Cottagers extended their unbeaten run to five matches with a goalless stalemate against Crystal Palace last time out, while we eased to a 4-0 win over Burnley.
Fulham and their low-scoring affairs have become a staple of the Premier League over the past couple of months, but Scotty Parker would have no doubt been frustrated to see his side fail to break down a dogged Crystal Palace defence on Sunday afternoon. An inspired performance from Eagles number one Vicente Guaita prevented Fulham from recording back-to-back wins for the first time this season, but the Cottagers nevertheless extended their unbeaten run to five matches as they bid to avoid an immediate return to Championship football. Parker's men remain 3 points adrift of Newcastle United in 18th, but given the Magpies' recent injury woes, Fulham will be looking ahead to the spring with even more optimism if performances continue in the same vein, especially seeing as they have only shipped one goal in their last five. However, Fulham have only found the back of the net four times in their unbeaten run - with the absence of Aleksandar Mitrovic through coronavirus clearly felt in the camp - and no team has amassed fewer goals on home soil than Fulham's eight in the 2020-21 Premier League campaign. On the other hand, no team in the bottom half of the standings has shipped fewer than Fulham's 32 this term, and victory in Thursday's derby would see them temporarily climb to safety, although they have prevailed in just one of their last 14 midweek top-flight games and we appear to have turned a corner at just the right moment.
Bale is never far away from the centre of attention no matter where he plies his trade, but the much-maligned Welshman made headlines for all the right reasons against Burnley on Sunday, as his brace helped propel us to a resounding 4-0 success on our own turf. Kane and Lucas also found the back of the net on the day as we ran out winners by a four-goal scoreline for the second game in a row - following our thrashing of Wolfsberger in the Europa League – and we recovered from back-to-back defeats to Manchester City and West Ham United in perfect fashion against the Clarets. Five defeats from our last seven Premier League matches have seriously harmed our top-four ambitions, but we are just six points off the Champions League places with a game in hand over most of the teams above us, so the importance of stringing a set of wins together cannot be understated.
However, we travel to Craven Cottage boasting a measly one win from our last eight top-flight away fixtures, and having lost our last three on the road, Mourinho could lose four league away matches in a row for the first time ever if we come up short again. Parker's men held us a 1-1 draw in the reverse fixture last month, but the hosts have won just one of their last 14 against us, with we winning 10 of the last 12. Marek Rodak and Tom Cairney are the only two injury concerns for Fulham, who will no doubt be aiming to keep changes to a minimum amid their solid run of form. Ola Aina’s 's substitution at half time against Palace was a tactical decision, Parker confirmed, so it would not be a surprise to see Antonee Robinson given the nod here. Should the hosting manager make some alterations before Sunday's meeting with Liverpool, Mario Lemina and Ivan Cavaliero could both return to the starting lineup, but Aleksandar Mitrovic may not be ready for a start just yet.
The only occupant of our medical room at present is Lo Celso, but there is hope that he could return to the squad for the North London derby later this month. With
Bale's qualities finally coming to the fore, the Welshman will not want to be dropped for this game, while Dele enjoyed a third substitute outing in succession against Burnley but may not be considered for a start just yet. It remains to be seen if Aurier will be risked again after only just returning from injury, but in an ideal world, Mourinho would name an unchanged XI from the weekend's win, although the congested schedule means that changes could be made.
Any significant alterations to either team will have a major impact on the outcome of this match, and both Parker and Mourinho have several big calls to make during a hectic week. The Cottagers' defensive resilience will be tested to the limit against Bale and co on Thursday, and while our side are unlikely to have as much joy in front of goal as we did against Wolfsberger and Burnley.
Banner Courtesy of @chrissivad[/B]
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