Tottenham Hotspur will be travelling across London to take on local rivals Fulham FC on Thursday. Given what we know of the team news, let’s take a look at what changes manager Jose Mourinho could make to his team.
Spurs bounced back in the league with a comprehensive win over Burnley at the weekend. What was most impressive was the manner in which they got the win, over a team that is traditionally tough to beat.
That will give them a lot of confidence going into this game as they face a team that is in the relegation zone. While this doesn’t mean they will have an easy game at Craven Cottage, the North Londoners will feel that they can get another win.
Jose Mourinho will have his team line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation with Hugo Lloris in goal. There aren’t really going to be any changes made to the defence as they looked solid on Sunday.
We will once again see a backline of Serge Aurier and Reguilon as the full backs. As for the centre backs, it will be Toby Alderweireld and Davinson Sanchez. Fulham do have some dangerous attackers, so the defence will have to be alert.
Rotation is possible in the midfield with Tanguy Ndombele dropping to the bench. Moussa Sissoko will come in to replace him. The Frenchman will play along with his usual partner Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg. Doing this will help Mourinho keep the squad fresh which is a good thing.
There will be one change made ahead of the central midfield as well. Dele Alli has been in good form and will be given a chance, giving Lucas Moura a rest. On the wings, it will be the duo of Gareth Bale and Heung-min Son.
The Welshman is starting to look like his old self which is great news. And Son is always capable of making the difference.
Leading the Tottenham attack will be Harry Kane who will be relishing going up against the Fulham defence. The hosts will find it difficult to keep the Spurs attackers at bay and may not be able to prevent them from getting a win.
Given how they played in the last game, Mourinho will be expecting three points on Thursday.
Predicted Tottenham Starting XI Against Fulham (4-2-3-1):
Hugo Lloris, Serge Aurier, Davinson Sanchez, Toby Alderweireld, Reguilon, Moussa Sissoko, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Gareth Bale, Dele Alli, Heung-min Son, Harry Kane