Match Preview
Fulham vrs Tottenham Hotspur
Premier League Match Day 29 23_24 at Craven Cottage
Saturday 16th March 2024, KO: 17:30
Referee:
Robert Jones (Wirral)
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Fulham face Tottenham Hotspur in a Premier League London derby on Saturday evening hoping to return to winnung ways after losing out to Wolverhampton Wanderers last weekend.
Tottenham put their Champions League fate back in their own hands by crushing Aston Villa 4-0 last weekend.
The ruthless edge that Fulham showed in their recent wins over Bournemouth, Manchester United and Brighton & Hove Albion eluded them at Molineux last weekend, where Marco Silva's men failed to grasp their first-half opportunities with both hands and were made to pay for it.
Rayan Ait-Nouri's close-range finish and an unfortunate Tom Cairney own goal gave Wolves a healthy cushion midway through the second half, and even though Alex Iwobi found the mark deep into second-half injury time, it was too little too late for the Cottagers.
Silva was under no illusions that his side hit the self-destruct button at Molineux, where they were punished for profligacy and a sloppy second half, and an unspectacular end to the season awaits the 12th-placed Cottagers, who are 14 points clear of the relegation line and eight adrift of the European places.
A late charge for Europa Conference League football remains a mathematical possibility, but Silva's men should be content in mid-table obscurity between now and the end of the campaign and head into Saturday's derby having scored in each of their last six Premier League matches.
Furthermore, Fulham have accrued 25 of their 35 points this season at Craven Cottage, where they have triumphed over West Ham United (5-0) and Arsenal (2-1) in their last two Premier League London derbies, but they have never won three consecutive all-capital clashes at home in the top flight.
While Fulham's jaunt to the West Midlands last weekend was an unsuccessful one, Tottenham blew the race for Champions League football wide open, knocking down a few more walls of the crumbling Villa Park fortress with a four-star second-half display.
Strikes from James Maddison and Brennan Johnson preceded a deserved John McGinn red card, which virtually extinguished the Lions' hopes of an improbable turnaround, and Postecoglou's men made the result more emphatic in injury time through Son Heung-min and Timo Werner.
After failing to win any of their first seven games of 2024 by more than one goal, the resurgent Lilywhites boast a 7-1 aggregate scoreline from their last two fixtures with Villa and Crystal Palace and now sit just two points behind recent victims Aston Villa, who have played a game more.
With the Europa Conference League-competing Lions not in top-flight action again until Sunday, Spurs will jump into the top four with maximum points at Craven Cottage, and they arrive on Fulham's turf having struck multiple goals in each of their last six Premier League away games dating back to the start of December.
Son and Maddison were on target as Tottenham eased to a 2-0 home win over Fulham earlier this season - their fourth straight top-flight victory against Silva's side - but the Lilywhites have already been left crestfallen at Craven Cottage once this season, losing their EFL Cup second-round encounter on penalties.
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Fulham have lost 14 of their past 16 Premier League games against Tottenham and are winless in nine top-flight meetings since a 1-0 victory at White Hart Lane on 17 March 2013.
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A win would give Spurs eight consecutive league victories away to a particular opponent for the first time in their history.
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Fulham beat Tottenham on penalties in the second round of the EFL Cup in August following a 1-1 draw in west London.
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The Whites are vying for three consecutive top-flight home wins in London derbies for the first time in their history, having beaten West Ham and Arsenal at Craven Cottage in December.
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They have won three of their five Premier League home games this season against teams currently in the top half of the table.
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Fulham have won eight top-flight fixtures at Craven Cottage this term, matching last season's final total.
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Marco Silva is winless in all eight of his Premier League matches as a manager against Tottenham (D3, L5).
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Rodrigo Muniz has been directly involved in six goals in his last six league appearances, scoring five and assisting one.
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Muniz is vying to become the first Fulham player to score in four consecutive Premier League home matches.
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Spurs are aiming for back-to-back away wins in the league for the first time since October.
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They have scored at least twice in each of their past six top-flight matches on the road.
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Last month's defeat by Wolves is their only loss in eight league fixtures (W5, D2).
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Tottenham have already matched last season's tally of 23 away points.
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Timo Werner has the chance to score in three consecutive Premier League appearances for the first time in his career.
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Son Heung-min has been involved in 22 goals in his last 21 league appearances, scoring 14 and assisting eight.
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Source Ben Knapton at SportsMole/BBCSports