Tottenham Hotspur have clicked into gear at the perfect time, with the campaign entering its crucial late phase and the race for Champions League qualification heating up.
Whether the Premier League will receive a fifth spot in Europe’s elite club competition next season remains to be seen but given that Spurs are only two points behind fourth-placed Aston Villa after last weekend’s victory – and with a game in hand – there will be confidence that fortunes can be placed beyond doubt with a top four finish.
That said, anything other than victory at Craven Cottage will unravel the recent gains made and hand Manchester United a lifeline in their own pursuit of Champions League football, currently six points behind Ange Postecoglou’s side having played a game extra.
Fulham will not make life easy for their London rivals on Saturday evening, with Marco Silva instilling discipline and togetherness that has seen the Cottagers pull off recent victories over Brighton & Hove Albion and Man United (at Old Trafford).
Richarlison remains sidelined with a knee injury while Micky van de Ven was forced off at Villa Park and is expected to miss this one out. Ryan Sessegnon and Manor Solomon are longer-term absentees and are nowhere near a comeback.
1GK – Guglielmo Vicario
The defence gets a lot of credit but Guglielmo Vicario has been a monstrous presence between the sticks this season, and the 27-year-old looks set to stay for the years to come under Postecoglou’s leadership.
2RB – Pedro Porro
Pedro Porro has been utterly brilliant in the top flight this season and has so far chalked up seven assists from 24 fixtures, also completing 80% of his passes, averaging 1.7 key passes, 2.9 tackles, 2.5 clearances, 5.6 ball recoveries and 5.0 successful duels per game, as per Sofascore.
Dynamic? Yes. World-class? He’s getting there.
3CB – Cristian Romero
Sure, Cristian Romero has his detractors, but while he might be a tiny bit hot-headed, his elite defensive skill set has been the bedrock of Postecoglou’s success this term, blending brilliantly with Van de Ven’s athleticism and enterprise.
Fulham have some powerful figures in their squad but there’s no doubt that the Argentina international has the tools to deal with them.
4CB – Radu Dragusin
Radu Dragusin will start at Craven Cottage, with Postecoglou eradicating any doubt in his pre-match press conference and confirming as such.
Van de Ven is injured but this is exactly why the Romanian defender was signed from Genoa for £27m in January, and he will be desperate to make an impression.
5LB – Destiny Udogie
Daniel Levy signed Destiny Udogie from Udinese in a £15m package in 2022 and he spent the 2022/23 campaign back on loan with the Serie A side. This was a prudent move; it’s now paying off.
One of the Premier League’s finest full-backs this season, Udogie is ferocious in attack and formidable in defence.
6CM – Yves Bissouma
Yves Bissouma has enjoyed a much-improved campaign in a Tottenham shirt this year, albeit battling against the over-aggressiveness that has caused three suspensions.
As per FBref, the Malian midfielder ranks among the top 1% of positional peers across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for pass completion, the top 4% for passes attempted, the top 14% for progressive passes, the top 9% for successful take-ons, the top 5% for tackles and the top 7% for interceptions per 90.
He really is key in the centre of the park and will be vital against tough-tackling counterpart Joao Palhinha.
7CM – Pape Matar Sarr
He collected it, he drove, he whipped it toward the box, just so. Pape Matar Sarr is a man of many talents, and despite his youth and inexperience, he looks the part at the centre of a Tottenham team targetting success.
His delightful cross kickstarted Spurs’ second-half dismantling of Aston Villa and he will start once again. He makes such a difference.
8RW – Brennan Johnson
Having posted three goals and four assists in the Premier League across his past ten matches, starting just six of those, Brennan Johnson will feel that he has done enough to earn a starting berth at Fulham.
His role from the outset would come at the expense of the £110k-per-week Dejan Kulusevski, described as Tottenham’s “engine” by Sky Sports’ Jamie Weir, but then rotation is healthy and the Welshman can’t really do much more to retain his starting berth.
9AM – James Maddison
James Maddison is one of the Premier League’s finest playmakers and looks to be a real steal at £40m, arriving from relegated Leicester City back in June.
There’s no question that he will be lodged in the No. 10 position, and you wouldn’t bet against his influence harvesting a goal or an assist on Saturday.
10LW – Timo Werner
He might have only been introduced in the late stage against Aston Villa but Timo Werner scored for the second game running, netting a close-range strike as his side narrowed the gap to the top four.
The Germany international could start to make up an electric flank, with Johnson on the alternate, and with Maddison pulling the strings centrally, it could spell danger for the hosts.
11CF – Heung-min Son
Heung-min Son added a goal and two assists to his seasonal tally at Villa Park, taking his seasonal return up to 14 goals and eight assists. He’s only bagged one goal from seven matches against Fulham though.
| Premier League 23/24: Big Chances Created | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| # | Player | Club | Stat |
| 1. | Mohamed Salah | Liverpool | 19 |
| 2. | Heung-min Son | Tottenham Hotspur | 16 |
| 3. | Martin Odegaard | Arsenal | 13 |
| 3. | Trent Alexander-Arnold | Liverpool | 13 |
| 3. | Bruno Fernandes | Manchester United | 13 |
| 3. | Bukayo Saka | Arsenal | 13 |
| 3. | Dwight McNeil | Everton | 13 |
| 3. | Kieran Trippier | Newcastle United | 13 |
| Stats via Premier League | |||
The South Korean has really stepped up since donning the captain’s armband since the start of the season and there are melodious murmurings that a fresh deal lies around the corner…
Predicted Spurs line-up in full vs Fulham: (GK) Guglielmo Vicario; (RB) Pedro Porro, (CB) Cristian Romero, (CB) Radu Dragusin, (LB) Destiny Udogie; (CM) Yves Bissouma, (CM) Pape Matar Sarr; (RW) Brennan Johnson, (AM) James Maddison, (LW) Timo Werner; (CF) Heung-min Son
