Tottenham Hotspur vs. Fulham Preview

Tottenham Hotspur can guarantee themselves a fourth placed finish with a win over Fulham at White Hart Lane on the final day of the Barclays Premier League season – however they will be hoping to oust North London rivals Arsenal for third with England’s regular Champions League qualification structure under threat from Chelsea who contest the final of this year’s competition.

If the Blues manage to beat Bayern Munich in the showpiece they will enter next year’s renewal as defending champions and therefore the team who finishes fourth in the Premier League will miss out on entry to the prestigious tournament.

Spurs have been locked in a ding-dong battle with Newcastle United for fourth in recent weeks and managed to edge ahead of the Toon Army last time out courtesy of a point against Aston Villa, whilst the Magpies came away empty handed from their clash with champions elect Manchester City.

Tottenham’s overall form has dropped dramatically since February after once being in contention to challenge for top spot; however they have managed to just about hold their own and cling onto a chance of a return to Europe’s top table after impressing so much on the continent during 2010/2011.

And they potentially have the opportunity to snatch third on Sunday if Arsenal fail to beat West Brom at the Hawthorns.

Fulham will pose a reasonably difficult challenge for Harry Redknapp’s men; nevertheless the hosts should have enough reason to be confident of prevailing.

Spurs have slipped up on a number of occasions throughout the campaign against teams they have been expected to beat – the most recent example of this came just a couple of weeks ago at the Lane as Norwich City managed to steel all three points.

But Tottenham’s overall home record is extremely strong and they have been good value for the twelve wins which they have accumulated in front of their own fans this term. They have also been prolific in the process, scoring over two goals per game and regularly putting visiting opposition to the sword.

Emmanuel Adebayor will once again lead the line for Spurs and he can inflict some damage upon the visitors who have lost nine games on the road this season despite being a highly respectable eighth in the league standings.

The Cottagers have only managed twelve away goals in the process – a poor return by all accounts and their main hope of a result may be to stifle the hosts in central midfield.

Fulham boss Martin Jol has instilled a lot of confidence into his squad who have competed very well on the main despite being built around a limited budget.

But overall they look potentially vulnerable against an expansive Spurs outfit who love to spray the ball about on the big White Hart Lane pitch.

Former Spurs manager Jol has enough motivation to inspire a tough and energetic performance against the club that ditched him but he is unlikely to see his side get much of the ball with Spurs’ midfield expected to dominate and create plenty of chances.

Spurs are 4/9 to round off the season with a win and can get the upper hand as the match wares on more space becomes available for their creative talent.

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08/05/2012     © Frixo 2026