Fulham Away – Can We Finally Win One Before an International Break?

Fresh from a rare Thursday night where Spurs actually won a European match without making us question our life choices, we’re off to Craven Cottage for a proper London derby against Fulham. It’s our final Premier League outing before the international break, and if history’s any indicator, we all know what that means: probable heartbreak. Still, there’s always hope, right?

Let’s start with the good news. Ange-ball is still alive and kicking in Europe. A 3-1 win over AZ Alkmaar saw us into the Europa League quarter-finals, with young Wilson Odobert channelling his inner Bale and Maddison adding the gloss with a goal of his own. Yes, we conceded (because, of course we did), but Peer Koopmeiners’ effort was more of a footnote than a plot twist. The result? A date with Eintracht Frankfurt, who’ve been there and done that in Europe more recently than us—but let’s save that existential dread for April.

Now, back to the Premier League. We sit 13th, which sounds about right given our season’s vibes: not disastrous, not inspiring, just sort of… Spursy. Twelve points off the top seven, but comfortably clear of the drop. So, what’s left? Pride, consistency, and maybe disrupting someone else’s European dreams for a bit of mischief.

The odds, according to Betway:

• Fulham: 1/1

• Draw: 11/4

• Spurs: 12/5

We’ve not been completely hopeless of late: only one defeat in our last five league games, and away wins at Brentford and Ipswich (yes, Ipswich, in the Premier League… we live in strange times). But here’s where it gets grim—brace yourselves. We’ve lost our last five Premier League games that came right before an international break. It’s like the players mentally check out and start Googling “holiday destinations in Dubai” by the 60th minute. One of those defeats? A 3-0 pasting by Fulham this time last year. Lovely.

Marco Silva’s Fulham are no mugs. They’ve only lost four of their last 18 matches in all competitions, though they did just throw away a lead to Brighton, losing 2-1 after conceding in the eighth minute of injury time. Yes, even we felt their pain—just for a moment. Sitting 10th and only four points off seventh, they’re in the mix for Europe, so they’ll fancy their chances, especially against our notoriously generous defence.

That said, Fulham at home haven’t exactly been fortress-like. One win in their last seven at Craven Cottage, and just one clean sheet in 18 at home (against Southampton, so does that even count?). If there was ever a time for us to buck the trend and actually win before the break, it’s now.

Team News

Not much has changed for us injury-wise, which is a minor miracle. Lucas Bergvall looked knackered at the end of the AZ game but should be fine. Rodrigo Bentancur is back after serving his Europa ban, and Ange is only missing Danso (hamstring), Dragusin (ACL), Richarlison (calf), and Kulusevski (foot). So, a manageable injury list by our standards.

With Micky van de Ven still being handled like fine china due to fitness concerns, we might see teenage sensation Archie Gray thrown back into the mix alongside Romero. No pressure, lad.

Fulham have a few absentees too. Reiss Nelson, Kenny Tete, and Harry Wilson are all out, while Sasa Lukic is suspended. Adama Traore might return from injury and could cause problems with his usual head-down, run-fast antics.

Predicted Lineups:

Fulham: Leno; Castagne, Andersen, Bassey, Robinson; Pereira, Berge; Traore, Smith Rowe, Iwobi; Jimenez

Spurs: Vicario; Porro, Romero, Gray, Udogie; Sarr, Bentancur, Maddison; Odobert, Solanke, Son

Prediction: Fulham 2-2 Spurs

Silva’s hitting the 200-game mark in the Premier League and will want a party atmosphere, but our boys have shown a bit more fight recently. With fatigue setting in and gaps aplenty at the back, it’s hard to see us shutting them out. Equally, Fulham’s leaky home form means we’ll fancy a few goals ourselves. Expect chaos, moments of brilliance, defensive lapses, and probably a Maddison free-kick that clips the post. A draw feels inevitable—and very, very Spurs.