FULHAM
13th in Premiership
with 28 points
Position achievable
after MatchDay 23:
Highest 9th - Lowest 15th
- FULHAM and Tottenham clash at the end of a week in which both progressed to the fourth round of the FA Cup, but with starkly contrasting home victories over Championship opposition. Spurs breezed past Cardiff 4-0, while the Cottagers had to fight back from 1-3 down to win 4-3 against Leicester.
- Chris Coleman once again sends out a side in search of a 50th Premiership victory since he has been selecting the team. Fulham supporters have not been short on entertainment in the last week. Last Saturday's clash at West Ham produced six goals, but they were shared in what was the Cottagers' fifth successive Premiership draw, all against clubs from the London area (including Watford).
- The Cottagers are targeting a fifth successive home Premiership victory over Tottenham. They only won last season's corresponding fixture by virtue of a 91st minute header from Carlos Bocanegra.
- Undefeated in eight in all competitions. Won two and drawn six in League and Cup, since losing 4-0 at Liverpool on 9 December.
- Won 49 of 142 Premiership matches, since Chris Coleman was originally appointed caretaker manager.
- On the longest current run in the Premiership of 35 matches, since a victory by more than a single goal.
|
|
Tottenham
8th in Premiership
with 32 points
Position achievable
after MatchDay 24:
Highest 7th - Lowest 11th
- TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR may have found their goalscoring touch against Cardiff on Wednesday, but that was not the case when they met Fulham at the Lane in September. The match ended goalless and was the fourth time in the opening five League fixtures that Spurs had failed to score. That problem has been addressed, but now the issue is at the other end where Martin Jol's side are on the Premiership's longest current run without a clean sheet of 13 games.
- Spurs have won nine and lost nine League matches so far this term. But only one of those victories has been on the road, where they've gained 18 fewer points than on home soil. On a similar note, Fulham have a far stronger defence at home than away, having conceded 19 fewer goals at the Cottage than on their travels. Indeed both clubs have conceded more goals in the opening quarter (22 minutes) of top flight games this season than any others (eight each).
- The side playing away has failed to score in each of the last five League fixtures between these clubs. Spurs' one and only Premiership maximum on Fulham turf was the very first - a 0-2 triumph on 24 March 2002, when Teddy Sheringham and Gus Poyet were the scorers.
|
|
- Drawn 10 times in the top tier this season - one shy of Aston Villa's unmatched 11.
- Unbeaten in four home League games. Won two and drawn two at Craven Cottage, since beaten 0-1 by Reading on 25 November.
- The last two home Premiership matches have been goalless draws, against West Ham and Watford.
- Scored nine home goals in the top table. Rock bottom Watford are the only other club still in single figures (eight).
- A home tie against Stoke in the FA Cup follows this, before a trip to Sheffield United, a home game with Newcastle and an away match at Bolton.
Brian McBRIDE is Fulham's leading scorer, with nine goals - seven in the Premiership.
- Only Liam ROSENIOR has been on the field for every minute of every one of Fulham's Premiership matches this season.
- If he participates, Moritz VOLZ will be playing on the eve of his 24th birthday.
- If involved, Michael BROWN will be facing his former club. The 29 year old midfielder made 64 appearances and scored three goals for Spurs between January 2004 and January 2006, of which 50 appearances and two goals were in the Premiership.
- Wayne ROUTLEDGE is on loan from Spurs, and therefore ineligible to play against his parent club.
- If on the field from the outset, Ian PEARCE will be making his 50th Premiership start in Fulham colours.
- Mark PEMBRIDGE needs one more appearance to total 400 in his English League career (Luton, Derby, Sheffield Wednesday, Everton and Fulham).
|
LAST CORRESPONDING LEAGUE FIXTURE
Boleyn Ground on 31 Jan 2006
|
|
Bocanegra 90
|
|
Niemi, Rosenior, Knight, Bocanegra, Bridge, Boa Morte, Elliott, Legwinski (Radzinski, 23 ), Malbranque, Helguson, McBride (John, 73)
Subs not used: Warner, Goma, Niclas Jensen |
Robinson, Kelly, King, Dawson (sent off 72),Stalteri, Reid (Huddlestone, 26 ), Carrick, Jenas, Lennon (Gardner, 74 ), Rasiak (Defoe, 70 ), Keane
Subs not used Cerny, Jackson |
| Yellow card: Helguson |
Yellow card: Dawson, Jenas, Rasiak |
| Red card: |
Red card: Dawson (sent off 72), |
| Attendance: 21081 |
Referee: H Webb (S. Yorkshire) |
|
|
- Managed one win in five League and Cup games - Wednesday's FA Cup triumph.
- Picked up one point from the last available nine. Drawn 1-1 at Portsmouth, between home defeats by Liverpool and Newcastle.
- Won one of five Premiership games (2-1, home to Aston Villa on Boxing Day).
- Not kept a clean sheet in the highest League since the goalless draw with Watford at Vicarage Road on 28 October - their only League shut-out away from home this season.
- One of three clubs with only four Premiership clean sheets all season. The others are Newcastle and West Ham.
- The only triumph in the last 13 away League games (11 of which were this season), was 1-2 at Manchester City on 17 December.
- A home clash with local rivals Arsenal in the first leg of the Carling Cup semi-final follows this, before Southend visit White Hart Lane in the FA Cup. Then there's the return League Cup leg, a home Premiership fixture against leaders Manchester United and a trip to Sheffield United before Feyenoord come to north London on Uefa Cup business.
- Jermain DEFOE is Tottenham's top scorer with 14 goals, seven in the Premiership.
- Goalkeeper Paul ROBINSON is the only remaining player to have been on the field for every minute of every one of Tottenham's Premiership matches this term.
- If he plays, Robbie KEANE will be making his 150th Premiership appearance for Spurs, and 300th career English League appearance (Wolves, Coventry, Leeds and Spurs).
- If he turns out, Steed MALBRANQUE will be facing his former club. The 27 year old French midfielder made 211 appearances and scored 44 goals for Fulham between August 2001 and May 2006, of which 32 goals and 172 appearances were in the League.
- MALBRANQUE needs three more goals to total 50 for English clubs (Fulham and Spurs).
- If they participate, both Young-Pyo LEE and Jermaine JENAS will be making their 50th appearances for Tottenham.
|
| HEAD TO HEAD at FULHAM |
|
FULHAM |
Draw |
SPURS |
| League |
7 |
9 |
11 |
| Premier |
5 |
0 |
1 |
| HEAD TO HEAD RESULTS |
|
FULHAM |
Draw |
SPURS |
| League |
9 |
20 |
26 |
| Premier |
5 |
2 |
4 |
|