MY ACCOUNT
– Fulham have only been beaten twice at home in 10 league outings this season
– Nine of Fulham’s 10 home league games have featured at least three goals
– Tottenham have failed to win four of their last five Premier League games
– Recommended bet: Fulham or Tie and over 2.5 goals
Tottenham’s post-World Cup malaise shows no signs of lifting following last week’s collapse at Manchester City and there is every chance Fulham can heap further misery on their London rivals at Craven Cottage on Monday.
The Cottagers have enjoyed an excellent campaign to date and sit just two points behind Spurs in the standings having already surpassed their points and goals scored tallies from their last Premier League season.
A 1-0 defeat at Newcastle last weekend ended a run of five straight wins in all competitions for Marco Silva’s men, but they were unlucky to take nothing away from their trip to the north-east after having Aleksandar Mitrovic’s penalty ruled out due to the Serb slipping and kicking the ball twice.
That result should not dent Fulham’s confidence, but the same cannot be about Spurs’ last outing after they followed up defeat in the north London derby by throwing away a two-goal lead in a 4-2 loss at Manchester City.
Three defeats in the last four games has left Tottenham with work to do in the race for the top four and a leaky defence could continue to hold them back.
Team news
The Cottagers have a near fully-fit squad to choose from with Neeskens Kebano (Achilles) the only absentee.
Antonee Robinson is available having served his suspension in the loss to Newcastle, while Shane Duffy is back in training following a recent bout of illness.
Silva says he is undecided who will partner Tim Ream at the heart of defence, having rotated between Tosin Adarabioyo and Issa Diop for much of the season.
Conte is also blessed to have the majority of his squad at his beck and call with only Lucas Moura (calf) unavailable, and the Italian admits his biggest concern is fatigue.
Conte says Dejan Kulusevski and Rodrigo Bentancur’s fitness will be checked, with the pair having only recently returned from injury alongside Spurs’ quick turnaround from last Thursday’s clash with City.
The stats
This is a fixture that Tottenham tends to thrive in, winning 12 of the last 14 Premier League meetings with Fulham.
Spurs beat Fulham 2-1 in the reverse fixture with London derby specialists Harry Kane and Mitrovic both on target in that game.
Mitrovic has scored in his last four appearances against clubs from the capital, while no player in Premier League history has scored more goals in London derbies than Kane (47).
The two sides’ respective star strikers can contribute to a high-scoring encounter with over 2.5 goals landing in all but one of Fulham’s 10 home games this season, while Tottenham’s last four away games have featured at least four goals.
All six of Fulham’s London derbies this season have also featured at least three goals, with both teams finding the net in five of those six fixtures.
Tottenham have found Craven Cottage to their liking on their last six visits, which all ended in Spurs’ wins, but may find the hosts a much tougher nut to crack this time around.
Fulham have turned the Cottage into a fortress this season, losing only twice at home in 10 outings, and failing to score just once in those games.
Prediction
There has been little to like about the majority of Spurs’ performances since the season resumed, particularly from a defensive standpoint with Conte admitting his backline is currently performing like a “relegation team”.
Tottenham have conceded an eye-watering 21 goals across their last 10 matches and the defenders have clearly lost their trust in goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, who has been guilty of some high-profile errors of late.
Fulham’s frontline has proven potent more often than not this season and can expose Spurs to contribute to what is likely to be a high-scoring encounter, given the Cottagers are not without their own defensive issues.
They say the table does not lie and based on the current standings, there is little to choose between these sides, making Spurs an unattractive option as a short-priced away favourite.
A confident Fulham side can take something from this fixture, and the Fulham/Tie double chance and over 2.5 goals at 17/10 with LiveScore Bet looks a strong option.
