Anther London derby beckons for Fulham this weekend when, days after having gotten a decent 0-0 draw at Stamford Bridge, we welcome Tottenham Hotspur to Craven Cottage. It has all the makings of being a fascinating encounter.
Vital Quotes:
Did Clint Dempsey wait until the eve foo his return to Craven Cottage, having left in the summer, to state why he felt he had to leave or was it simply a coincidence?
Whatever you believe, it seems that Clint didn`t feel he felt appreciated at Craven Cottage, remarking,
‘If you always felt valued and appreciated enough, I don’t think you’d ever leave,’
‘But it came to a point for me where I didn’t feel valued and appreciated, not by the fans, but by other situations. That’s just the way things went.’
So now we know!
Fulham Team News:
Martin Jol still has injury problems in his squad. Definitely out of contention are Bryan Ruiz, Alex Kacaniklic and Kieran Richardson, all with hamstring injuries. Also out, serving the last of his three game suspension is Brede Hangeland.
Player to watch: Philippe Senderos
The Swiss international has made a return to the side following the suspension picked up by Brede Hangeland, will he be able to cope with the speed of Defoe or the power fo Adebayor?
Spurs Team News:
Andre Villas-Boas brings his Spurs squad to Craven Cottage with Scott Parker (Achilles), Benoit Assou-Ekotto (knee) and Younes Kaboul (knee) all unavailable. However, Steven Caulker, who missed the win over Liverpool in midweek, due to illness, is available again. Also back in contention is Emmanuel Adebayor who has now served the three match suspension he picked up fr the red card he received against Arsenal recently.
Player to watch: Jermain Defoe
The diminutive striker has started to score with a degree of regularity again. In fact he`s in such good form that Andre Villas-Boas reckons he`s on a par with the Atletico Madrid striker Falcao. Now as a purveyor of Spanish football, that is some statement.
Match Facts & Stats
Fulham enter this game on the back of a run of six Premier League games without a victory having drawn four and lost two.
With reference to fixtures against Spurs, we`re on something of a losing streak with five consecutive losses in the record books.
Our last win, at home against Spurs; came back in November 2008, when we won 2-1.
Time for another methinks.
They have not won for six Premier League games (D4, L2).
Ref Watch:
Those appointed to officiate in this fixture are:
Chris Foy (referee)
R. Ganfield (assistant)
D. McDonough (assistant)
John Moss (fourth official)
Match Prediction:
Tottenham have blown hot and cold in recent fixtures, they started well but faded but look to be getting back to their best after beating West Ham United 3-1 last time out. With, possibly, two ex-Fulham players in their ranks (Dembele and Moussa0, there will be that little extra competitive edge to the game and I`m taking Fulham to perhaps surprise a few people here by taking all three points with a narrow victory.
Next Fixtures:
Next on the agenda for Fulham is a Premier League fixture against Newcastle on Monday 10th December.
