Fulham v Tottenham: Spurs too strong for Cottagers

Fulham v Tottenham: Spurs too strong for Cottagers

Fulham have been stingy at the back in recent games but Tottenham will bring too much firepower for them to handle, says Paul Higham...

Fulham grab glimmer of hope

They looked dead and buried at one stage but Fulham's five-match unbeaten run has at least raised a glimmer of hope that they could fight their way out of relegation danger.

Newcastle's woeful form means that the Cottagers have reduced a 10-point chasm between themselves and safety down to just three points - meaning a win for Scott Parker's men on Thursday will lift them out of the relegation zone for the first time since mid-December.

Parker's side aren't losing too many games lately but scoring goals is a problem that's led to too many draws - including at the weekend when they dominated against Crystal Palace but came away with a 0-0 draw.

As the game against Spurs is swiftly followed by matches against Liverpool, Man City and Leeds, they'll need to find their scoring boots to try and keep their survival bid going.

Spurs let off the leash by Jose?

It's looked like Jose Mourinho finally let Spurs of the leash in the last few games with back-to-back 4-0 wins and Gareth Bale scoring goals bringing some of the feel-good factor back to the club, and bringing that coveted fourth place back into focus.

Spurs fans should be wary of this being just a false dawn though, as although they've looked irresistible in the emphatic wins against Wolfsberger and Burnley - a disappointing league defeat to West Ham in between showcased their problems against the better sides.

Since their supposed title challenge came to an end at Anfield in December, Spurs have won just four of their 12 league games, drawing twice and losing six. A 3-0 victory over Leeds was the only really impressive win in that stretch, and in fact they've not earned a single point in that time from a team currently in the top half of the table.

Spurs have just one point from four midweek games this season, illustrating a real problem in making changes, so the team news will be interesting to see if Bale gets another quick outing to try and build some genuine momentum.

Fulham's only chance to keep it tight

Tottenham have dominated this fixture with 10 wins from the last 12 league meetings (D1 L1), so they're unsurprisingly even-money favourites given their recent form and respective league standings. Fulham are 3.9 outsiders while the draw comes in at 3.5 and may be popular given no team has more stalemates than the hosts this season.

Spurs looked so dangerous against Burnley, but Fulham have only conceded once in their last five league games, with the Cottagers also the lowest home scorers in the division with just eight goals in 13 games, their best chance of success at Craven Cottage seems to be to keep things tight.

Also, if you look at away games against similar opposition with decent defences then it's been tough for Tottenham - trips to Burnley and West Brom saw them win 1-0 while Wolves and Palace saw 1-1 draws before a 1-0 loss at Brighton.

Under 2.5 goals is 1.75 as a result but that would be the way to go - only one of Fulham's last eight games has gone over.

Too much firepower for Tottenham

Gareth Bale has four goals and three assists in his last four outings so his 2.8 anytime scorer price is worth a look if he starts, while Harry Kane's 2.1 actually looks generous when you factor in the fact he's scored in all four games he's played against Fulham - bagging six in total.

Ademola Lookman is Fulham's top scorer with a lowly four league goals, and he in fact is the only player to score a home league goal at Craven Cottage this year. Both of his strikes have been the first goal of the game too - he's 10 to make that three.

Goals, or the lack of them, is a huge worry for Fulham when they're facing a team that can field Bale, Kane, Son, Alli and Moura in any number and formation, the hosts should need more than one to get three points.

So, while they could well keep it tight again, Spurs just have too much firepower to ignore, and even if they may not be as good as recent results suggest just yet, they can take another step forward with a welcome away win here, after three road losses on the bounce.