Preview: Fulham vs. Tottenham Hotspur - prediction, team news, lineups

sportsmole.co.uk, 27 August 2023, 11:15
Arguably the pick of the ties in the second round of the EFL Cup will take place at Craven Cottage on Tuesday evening, with Fulham welcoming fellow Premier League outfit Tottenham Hotspur.

Fulham will enter the match off the back of a 2-2 draw with Arsenal in the league on Saturday, while Tottenham recorded a 2-0 victory over Bournemouth on the same afternoon.

Match preview

Fulham have made a respectable start to their 2023-24 Premier League campaign, picking up four points from their opening three matches, which has left them in 11th position in the table.

Marco Silva's side recorded a 1-0 victory at Everton in their season opener before suffering a 3-0 loss at home to Brentford in their second match of the campaign on August 19.

The London club responded to the three-goal defeat by holding Arsenal to a draw on Saturday, though, with Joao Palhinha coming up with the game's fourth goal in the 87th minute of the match.

Andreas Pereira sent Fulham ahead inside the first minute at the Emirates Stadium before Bukayo Saka and Eddie Nketiah turned the match around, but Palhinha struck to secure a deserved leveller for the visitors.

The Cottagers have never won the League Cup, but they were runners-up in the 1975 FA Cup, and the team could be potential dark horses in the competition during the 2023-24 campaign.

Tottenham, meanwhile, made it back-to-back wins in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon by recording a two-goal success at Bournemouth courtesy of goals from James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski.

Ange Postecoglou's side opened their season with a 2-2 draw against Brentford before recording a 2-0 victory over Manchester United in their second match of the campaign on August 19.

Spurs were again impressive at Bournemouth on Saturday, and they will now be aiming to progress to the third round of the EFL Cup ahead of their next Premier League match at Burnley next weekend.

Tottenham have won the League Cup on four separate occasions, with their last success in the competition coming in 2008, overcoming Chelsea in the final.

Spurs have won eight of their last nine matches against Fulham in all competitions, while they are unbeaten at Craven Cottage since an FA Cup clash in January 2011.

Fulham form (all competitions):

Tottenham Hotspur form (all competitions):

Advert - content below:

Team News

Fulham will be without the services of Calvin Bassey, who was sent off against Arsenal on Saturday.

Willian is also a doubt due to a muscular problem, with the Brazilian unlikely to be risked, but Tim Ream will be back from a suspension of his own and should start.

Head coach Silva will undoubtedly make changes to his starting side for this match, with Tom Cairney, Harrison Reed, Adama Traore, Kevin Mbabu and Marek Rodak among those likely to come into the XI.

Raul Jimenez was impressive against Arsenal on Saturday, but Carlos Vinicius is expected to come into the side to lead the line against Tottenham on Tuesday.

Spurs, meanwhile, will again be without the services of Tanguy Ndombele, Rodrigo Bentancur, Ryan Sessegnon, Bryan Gil and Alfie Whiteman through injury; Destiny Udogie is also a doubt due to a knock.

Head coach Postecoglou will also shuffle his pack for this match, with Ivan Perisic, Oliver Skipp, Ben Davies, Emerson Royal and Davinson Sanchez set to come into the side.

Fraser Forster is expected to get the nod between the sticks, while there could be starts for Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Giovani Lo Celso despite the speculation surrounding their futures.

Fulham possible starting lineup:

Rodak; Mbabu, Adarabioyo, Ream, Robinson; Reed, Lukic; Traore, Cairney, Wilson; Vinicius

Tottenham Hotspur possible starting lineup:

Forster; Emerson, Sanchez, Van de Ven, Davies; Hojbjerg, Skipp, Lo Celso; Perisic, Richarlison, Solomon

We say: Fulham 1-2 Tottenham Hotspur

Both managers will ring the changes for this contest, but it should still be an entertaining affair between two Premier League sides. It would not be a surprise to see a home win, but we just have a feeling that Spurs will shade the match to progress to the next round of the competition.

Previews by email

Top News

27 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester City are reportedly considering triggering the release clause of Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi during the January transfer window due to their ongoing issues. 27 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United have reportedly made an offer for Paris Saint-Germain defender Nuno Mendes. 27 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool boss Arne Slot will only be missing three players for Sunday's Premier League showdown with West Ham United at the London Stadium. 27 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Juventus have reportedly rejected the chance to sign unsettled forward Marcus Rashford, with the Old Lady more interested in bringing in his Manchester United teammate Joshua Zirkzee. 27 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk West Ham United manager Julen Lopetegui is grappling with a new selection crisis ahead of Sunday's Premier League visit of Liverpool to the London Stadium. 27 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Aiming to hit the 45-point mark before the end of the calendar year, relentless Premier League leaders Liverpool head to West Ham United on Sunday evening for their final match of 2024. 27 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United are reportedly keeping a close eye on Dani Olmo's situation at Barcelona, with the Spain international potentially becoming available on a free transfer at the start of January. 27 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Rangers will look to bounce back from a disappointing defeat last time out when they travel to Fir Park to face Motherwell in the Scottish Premiership on Sunday. 27 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Celtic will aim to maintain their remarkable unbeaten status in this season's Scottish Premiership when they host bottom of the table St Johnstone at Celtic Park on Sunday afternoon. 27 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk One team on an upward trajectory and another on a downward trajectory conclude their Premier League duties for 2024 at 3pm on Sunday, when Tottenham Hotspur welcome Wolverhampton Wanderers to North London. 27 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Both seeking to end a sub-par year on an up note, AC Milan and Roma will close out 2024 with a Sunday night clash at San Siro. 27 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Tottenham Hotspur boss Ange Postecoglou is at risk of being without a single senior centre-back for Sunday's Premier League home match against Wolverhampton Wanderers. 27 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Two of the Premier League's bottom-half battlers collide in their final match of 2024 on Sunday, as an off-colour Tottenham Hotspur welcome a reborn Wolverhampton Wanderers to their North London base. 27 December 2024 talksport.com Curtis Jones has revealed he received a touching message from former manager Jurgen Klopp following Liverpool's Boxing Day win over Leicester. 27 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Both in desperate need of some end-of-year inspiration, Premier League foes Leicester City and Manchester City play their final match of 2024 at the King Power Stadium on Sunday afternoon. 27 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca has acknowledged that he will "change something" for Monday's Premier League fixture at Ipswich Town. 27 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Southampton will go in search of just their second Premier League victory of the 2024-25 campaign when they head to Selhurst Park on Sunday afternoon to tackle Crystal Palace. 27 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester City head coach Pep Guardiola is currently sweating over the availability of a handful of players ahead of Sunday's trip to Leicester City in the Premier League. 27 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool may reportedly be offered the chance to loan out Federico Chiesa during the January transfer window. 27 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Leicester City manager Ruud van Nistelrooy will be deprived of the banned Jordan Ayew for Sunday's Premier League showdown with Manchester City at the King Power Stadium. 27 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Hitting low ebb after low ebb, Premier League champions-in-crisis Manchester City endeavour to close 2024 with an increasingly rare win away to Leicester City on Sunday afternoon. 27 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Former Premier League official Dermot Gallagher has supported the decision to hand a red card to Aston Villa forward Jhon Duran against Newcastle United. 27 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea will be aiming to bounce back from a home defeat to Fulham when they head to Ipswich Town in the Premier League on December 30. 27 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United will be aiming to avoid a fourth straight defeat in all competitions when they welcome Newcastle United to Old Trafford in the Premier League on Monday night. 27 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Level on points in the Serie A standings, Juventus and Fiorentina meet in Turin on Sunday evening, both aiming to stay in touch with the Scudetto race. 27 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou has confirmed that Ben Davies will not be available for Sunday's Premier League fixture with Wolverhampton Wanderers, while Radu Dragusin is still a doubt. 27 December 2024 talksport.com Fulham's social media team aimed a brutal dig at former star Tosin Adarabioyo following their Boxing Day win over Chelsea. 27 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Separated by four places in the Scottish Premiership table, St Mirren are favourites to close out the year with a positive result against Dundee in Sunday's gameweek 20 clash at the SMISA Stadium. 27 December 2024 talksport.com Jamie O'Hara has named the Premier League manager he wants Tottenham to poach as Ange Postecoglou comes under increasing pressure. 27 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Out to avoid an embarrassing fifth loss from six Premier League matches, Tottenham Hotspur play their final game of 2024 on Sunday, when they host Wolverhampton Wanderers in North London.