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The Lilywhites from North London travel down the Lillie Road, where they will face the white shirts of Fulham in a crucial battle for both sides in their 100th meeting.
Fulham are battling for survival while Spurs search for that lucrative Champions League place continues as the sides meet for the 100th time.
Scott Parker’s resurgent Fulham are unbeaten in five – winning two of their last four outings – to become a serious concern and increase the pressure on Brighton and Newcastle, the teams hovering above the drop zone.
“One side are aiming to be the bottom of the top four while the other’s ambition is to be the top of the bottom four”
Last time out, the Cottagers made the short trip across London as they faced Crystal Palace in a monotonous affair which lacked any real spark resulting in a 0-0 stalemate.
The only chance close to opening the scoring fell to Josh Maja whose second half header was miraculously saved by Guaita in the game’s only highlight.
The save resigned Fulham to their 11th draw of the season, more than anyone except Brighton. A win would have reduced the gap between themselves and safety to one point, but it remains at three.
Speaking post-match to Fulham Football Clubs official website, Parker said: “With the opportunities we’ve created we fully deserved to win the game, and we fell a bit short there.
“Defensively I think we were very good. Playing against a team in Crystal Palace who are very well organised and sit off you’ve got to jab and probe your way at times.
“First half we didn’t do that well enough and then second half we changed it positionally and created some big chances to win the game.
“Of course, there’s partly disappointment but in saying that it’s a clean sheet, I don’t think we conceded a shot on goal.
“I realise in my position that when you perform like today, the law of averages tells you that if you play that game 10 times you win it more than you lose or draw, so there’s a mixture of emotions.
“We move on now, it’s a big point for us and that’s the way we look at it and we keep moving.”
However, Tottenham are aiming to record back-to-back league wins for the first time since November after an emphatic 4-0 win over Burnley on Sunday.
Gareth Bale inspired the thumping with a goal inside the opening two minutes of the afternoon, before turning provider for Harry Kane to double their lead inside 15 minutes.
Just after the half hour mark, Jose Mourinho’s side made it three as Lucas Moura got his name on the scoresheet.
The North London side began the second half much like the first, a trademark Bale finish cutting in on his left and curling it into the far corner to give Spurs a four-goal advantage after just 55 minutes.
Burnley goalkeeper, Nick Pope, pulled off some tremendous saves to keep the deficit at four but the win for the Lilywhites retained a glamour of hope of breaking into the top four.
Two to watch:
Fulham have scored just twice at home in 2021, both were match openers courtesy of Ademola Lookman.
He has also been directly involved in more Premier League goals than any other Fulham player this season (Four goals, three assists),
Welshman, Gareth Bale’s second spell to life at Spurs hasn’t been the greatest, having seemingly been overlooked by Mourinho when selecting his starting XI’s.
Though in recent weeks the 31-year-old has appeared to have reinvigorated his chances of selection as he has accustomed among the match action.
The winger has been directly involved in seven goals (four goals and three assists) during his last four appearances.
Team news:
Aleksandar Mitrovic returned to the bench after returning from a coronavirus absence and was handed a run out against Crystal Palace. Tom Cairney and back up keeper Marek Rodak still remain side-lined.
Meanwhile, Giovani Lo Celso remains Jose Mourinho’s only absentee despite concerns for Pierre-Emile Hojberg but he has been able to shrug off any injury concerns.
Gareth Bale is likely to start after coming off against Burnley, while Dele Alli will be hoping for some more game time after just 25 minutes on Sunday.
Head-to-head
Having met on 99 occasions in the past, it’s Tottenham who have the better record with 51 wins and 30 draws, whilst Fulham have been victorious on 18 previous occasions.
The sides last met on 13th January 2021 as they battled out a 1-1 draw, goals from Harry Kane and Ivan Cavaleiro resulted in a point-a-piece.
A win over Spurs would move them above 17th placed Newcastle United on goal difference, as well as level on points with Graham Potter’s Brighton & Hove Albion.
London’s oldest professional football club are winless in 21 straight top-flight London derbies (D4, L17).
Tottenham Hotspur will feel they’re in better shape after winning three of their previous four competitive matches by a 3+ goal margin and scoring the opener in the opening 15 minutes each time.
Hot Stat: Five of the last six head-to-heads have seen the first two match goals shared equally.
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