Because round 8 is the last round before FIFA Days in October, Tottenham has been at the top of the Premier League rankings for quite a long time. If they beat Fulham in this round, the top spot will still be kept, so Ange Postecoglou and his team will try very hard, especially when playing at home.
Spurs' determination this season is huge, most clearly felt in the match against Luton Town. After Yves Bissouma was sent off, the white team still beat their opponents away. Therefore, the belief in Son Heung-min and his teammates is getting stronger.
Meanwhile, for Fulham, the current 12th place after round 8 is not too bad. Compared to Tottenham, Fulham has a psychological advantage when they have just eliminated their opponent from the League Cup. However, the biggest problem for Marco Silva and his team is scoring. After the first 8 rounds of the Premier League, the Craven Cottage team has only scored 8 goals. Therefore, it is difficult for Fulham to score away from home in a Derby.
After returning from the national team training session, two big Tottenham stars are having some injury problems. Son Heung-min, although he played in a friendly match with the Vietnam team in Korea, still suffered a minor pain in his groin. Meanwhile, Cristian Romero suffered an ankle injury during the FIFA Days against Argentina. However, these two injuries are not too serious, Son and Romero can play. Whether they start or not will depend entirely on Postecoglou's decision.
Except for Bissouma's suspension, Tottenham will not have any major personnel problems. Young striker Brennan Johnson could start in good form before the national team break this month.
On the other side of the front line, one of the losses for the away team is the case of Tosin Adarabioyo. The White's new signing has yet to return from a groin injury. In addition, according to captain Marco Silva, Kenny Tete and Adama Traore are still left unused. Issa Diop's case was further complicated when the star appeared to have suffered an ankle tear in the match against Sheffield. Diop will certainly not be able to play in the match against Tottenham in the early morning of Tuesday next week.
The history of confrontations is also not on the visitors' side before this important match. Of the total 103 encounters, Fulham have lost 50 times and drawn 30 times. With their current form, if they leave with 1 point after the match against their arch-rivals, Marco Silva and his team can be satisfied.
Tottenham's expected lineup: Vicario; Udogie, Van de Ven, Romero, Porro; Hojbjerg, Sarr; Johnson, Maddison, Kulusevski, Son
Fulham's expected lineup: Leno; Robinson, Ream, Bassey; Perreira, Palhinha, Iwobi; Willian, Carlos, Cordova-Reid
The match between Tottenham and Fulham will take place at 2:00 a.m. on October 24 (Vietnam time), live on K+
