Tottenham vs Fulham – Preview
Tottenham are gearing up for an interesting London derby, taking on Fulham at 3:15 PM ET. This rescheduled fixture was initially set to take place two weeks ago but was postponed after COVID-19 concerns emerged within the Cottagers squad. This game, however, came about abruptly as Mourinho's men were meant to lock horns with Aston Villa over the midweek. However, that game has been pushed back due to a coronavirus outbreak at the Villa Park, with the Premier League deciding to jot down the Fulham clash in its place.
This decision left manager Scott Parker upset, slamming the organizers for this sudden decision. While the gaffer admitted that the club were made aware of this scenario possibly occurring as early as Saturday, they only received confirmation that the Wednesday clash vs Spurs would take place come Monday. When speaking to in a press conference, a visibly angry Parker slammed this move as "scandalous".
Those remarks sparked a response from Jose Mourinho, with the Special One all but insisting that their opponents had ample time to prepare. The Portuguese boss added that Parker should apologize to everyone should he field a strong team in Wednesday's game after ranting about the lack of preparation for this London derby.
"They played Saturday against QPR in London," the Spurs said. "They have Sunday, Monday and Tuesday to prepare for the game tomorrow (Wednesday). If they come with half of the team I will be the first one to apologise to them, and I will be the first one to say we played this game with an advantage.
"If they come with their best team I think they should apologise to all of us. Come on, let's play football, let's behave the best we can, let's protect our industry, our image, and let's play football."
Regardless of who Parker fields, the objective remains the same for Tottenham: securing another victory. The north London giants have returned to form after going four straight league games without a win from mid to late December. Kane and Co. have registered three consecutive wins and while two of those victories came against lower-league teams – Brentford in the Carabao Cup semis and Marine in the FA Cup 3rd round – they were confidence-boosting results nonetheless.
Their most recent league game was a home encounter with Bielsa's Leeds side, with Mourinho's men marching to a comfortable 3-0 win. With 29 points from 16 games, victory over Fulham would see Spurs climb to third in the table, leaving them only a point behind second-placed Liverpool.
However, it should be noted that the Cottagers are unbeaten in their last five games across all competitions, most recently beating QPR 2-0 in the FA Cup. While that was their sole victory in that run, no one can deny Parker's side have been harder to beat recently. It will be interesting to see whether Mourinho's side can unlock Fulham.
Team news
Tottenham: Lamela could return to the squad after being punished for breaking coronavirus regulations. Giovani Lo Celso is sidelined while Bergwijn is a doubt after picking up a knock in the recent FA Cup triumph.
Fulham: Josh Onomah, Kenny Tete, and Terence Kongolo, who were all long-term injuries, made their return over the weekend and could feature in this clash. Alphonse Areola, Ademola Lookman, Tom Cairney, Joachim Andersen, and Frank Anguissa all sat out Saturday's game so it will be interesting to see who features on Wednesday.
Key stats
Tottenham have lost only one of their last 11 encounters with Fulham, winning the remaining 10.
Spurs haven't lost a London derby since February, an unbeaten run of seven games (W3, D4).
The Cottages have scored only seven goals in their last 13 encounters with the north London giants.
Broadcast listings
Match details, result and original broadcast info
This match has ended. Below are the original Live broadcast details for this match.
Live TV coverage and streaming in United States
Live TV coverage and streaming in United States
