Fulham v Tottenham Hotspur: The Agony Goes on at Craven Cottage

by Matthew Harris · 22nd January 2023

They say it’s always the hope that kills you: At 2-0 up against Manchester City at half time, maybe Spurs were actually going to come away from the Etihad with a positive result. We’d done it before, but our wretched recent form had suggested it was going to be an uncomfortable 90 minutes.

Of course, we’d momentarily forgotten how bad our defence is at the moment. 4-2 was the final scoreline, but at least we’d let our opponents find some form as they look to overhaul Arsenal at the top.

Next up is a Monday night kick off away to Fulham. This could be a six-pointer in terms of Europa League qualification and that seems to be all we’re left with.

Team News

You’ll have to forgive your writer for not being at Thursday’s game and for not following the last hour. The Apprentice seemed to offer more comfortable viewing and we actually began to long for the days when our former chairman was in charge.

So we may have missed any late injuries. Prior to kick off, Lucas Moura was the only doubt and he’ll remain sidelined for some time. Beyond that piece of old news, you’ll need to check the club’s official channels for more confirmation.

Match Odds

Spurs will go into this game as favourites, but there are odds against figures on all three possible outcomes. The away win can be found at 23/20 with Coral and Quinnbet while victory for Fulham is available at best industry odds of 9/4 with 10Bet and Ladbrokes.

The draw completes the match betting options at a top price of 14/5 with VBet.

We’ll all be aware of our own form, but what shape are Fulham in ahead of this Monday night match? The Cottagers are currently in sixth place and occupying the final Europa League slot. Like all newly-promoted teams, they were expected to struggle, but Fulham have enjoyed an impressive season and have already taken points from Liverpool and Chelsea, while picking off the bottom sides.

It’s an evenly matched 90 minutes on paper, but who will swing the course of this game?

Side Markets

He’s drawn a blank in the last two games as he looks to equal Jimmy Greaves’ record, but Harry Kane remains favourite at 10/3 with Quinnbet to open the scoring. Over in the Fulham camp, Aleksandar Mitrovic has finally transferred his Championship form into the Premier League and he’s quoted at 4/1 with Unibet in the first goalscorer market.

LONDON, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 05: Aleksandar Mitrovic of Fulham celebrates scoring his sides second goal during the Sky Bet Championship match between Fulham and Charlton Athletic at Craven Cottage on October 05, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Jordan Mansfield/Getty Images)

Next up for the Cottagers is our former loan player Carlos Vinicius. He’s been as subdued as he was during his spell at Spurs, but Vinicius did score the winner against Chelsea and he’s quoted at 13/2 with VBet here.

Other options for Tottenham backers include Son Heung-Min at 17/2, Richarlison at 9/1 and Dejan Kulusevski at 12/1 (all Quinnbet), plus Ryan Sessegnon at 22/1 with Unibet and Pierre-Emile Hojberg at 25/1 with VBet.

Away from player betting, Both Teams to Score is quoted for this one at best odds of 4/6 with Unibet. Those that want to consider the ‘no’ option on BTTS can currently claim 7/5 with VBet.

In the Over and Under Total Goals betting, you can go Above the 2.5 line for a figure of 3/4 with Quinnbet. By pushing that up one notch, a stake on Over 3.5 goals lifts to 45/23 with VBet. The alternative, for those expecting a dull 90 minutes, is to go Under the 2.5 line where a top price of 11/10 with Unibet is waiting.

We’ll complete this section with our usual look at some correct score picks. The match odds hint at a narrow victory for Spurs, so you could consider a 2-1 away win at 77/10 with Vbet. The same scoreline in favour of Fulham is on offer at 10/1 with Quinnbet and BetFred, while the 2-2 draw can be found at 12/1 with 10Bet.

Reverse Fixture

Spurs prevailed in the reverse fixture which was played at the new White Hart Lane on September 3rd. It was a little more comfortable than the 2-1 final scoreline suggests although Fulham fans will feel that their team should have headed back across London with a point.

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg opened the scoring on 41 minutes before Harry Kane doubled our advantage in the second half. The in-form Aleksandar Mitrovic got one back for Fulham on 83 minutes to set up a nervous ending, but we held on.

There is no corresponding fixture from last season, but our recent head to head record against Monday’s opponents is a good one. Our last defeat to the Cottagers came in March 2013 and that was Spurs’ only loss in 12 games.

Fulham will feel that this is a good time to play us, but let’s see if we can respond.

Craven Cottage, 9. Oktober 2018

Verdict

We’ve no idea: We could just leave it at that and, honestly, how can we predict the outcome with any real confidence? Fulham have been impressive this season and, while their overall record against the top sides is mixed, can we really consider Spurs to be a top team at the moment?

There’s enough negativity around and we’ll aim to keep it positive, but it is tough. Yes we should win it and, if there are any plus points from Thursday night, they focus on attack where we were in the game until the fourth goal went in.

While Sonny has been struggling, the issues are in defence so let’s hope that Monday night is a case of us scoring more than them. Speaking of Sonny, we’ll start the list of tips by backing him for an anytime goal. That may sound crazy but, with Richarlison now available, maybe Son will be dropped to the bench and he’ll respond as he did against Leicester City.

It may be the stuff of fantasy but we’ll see. We’ll finish by adding Both Teams to Score and Over 3.5 Goals and hope for the best. Right now, that’s all we can do.