Igor Tudor got off to the worst possible start as Tottenham Hotspur boss last weekend and desperately needs a response from his side when they take on Fulham in another London derby.
Losing 4-1 at home to bitter rivals Arsenal was a terrible way for the Croatian to kick off his reign and the defeat has left Spurs sitting just four points above the drop zone.
Taking on the Premier League leaders was a baptism of fire but Tudor now has a kinder run of fixtures, with just one of the next seven games against a team in the top eight.
A trip to Craven Cottage is never easy though and Fulham have climbed to mid-table off the back of an excellent 3-1 win at Sunderland last weekend.
Marco Silva’s side lost 2-1 at home to Everton in their last home game but will still be wondering how that happened after dominating most of that match.
They had gone five without defeat at Craven Cottage before that, so Fulham will be confident of piling on the pain for this injury-hit Spurs side.
How the bookies view it: More misery for Spurs
With Tottenham Hotspur on such a wretched run, they’re outsiders for this one at 9/4 with most firms. Fulham’s best price is 15/13 at Unibet and the draw pays 13/5 with Bet365.
Recent head to head: Fulham have turned the tide
Fulham have held the upper hand in this fixture of late, winning three of the last four meetings and drawing the other. But Tottenham had dominated before that, going 11 matches unbeaten.
Players to watch: Iwobi out to pile on the pain
Arsenal old boy Alex Iwobi will be looking to heap more heartache on Tottenham. The Fulham midfielder scored in Sunderland last weekend and is 13/10 at Bet365 for a goal or assist here.
Xavi Simons is the only player in the Spurs midfield with a bit of creativity in his locker and the Dutchman usually carries a goal threat. He had an effort saved in the loss to Arsenal and is 13/10 with Ladbrokes to get another shot on target.
Probable line-ups
Fulham’s record signing Kevin went off injured last weekend and is out, while Sasa Lukic, Samuel Chukwueze and Antonee Robinson are still missing.
Tudor is still without banned captain Cristian Romero while Wilson Odobert, Destiny Udogie, Dejan Kulusevski, James Maddison, Mohammed Kudus, Rodrigo Bentancur, Ben Davies and Lucas Bergvall are also set to miss out.
Fulham: Leno, Tete, Bassey, Anderson, Sessegnon, Berge, Iwobi, Smith-Rowe, Bobb, Wilson, Jimenez.
Tottenham: Vicario, Spence, Gray, Dragusin, Van de Ven, Sarr, Gallagher, Palhinha, Simons, Kolo Muani, Solanke.
Anything else catch the eye?
Tudor’s tactics seemed to confuse the Spurs players in last week’s derby loss while the Cottagers are a well-oiled machine under long-serving manager Silva. So the home win looks likely here and I also fancy over 1.5 Fulham goals at evens with William Hill.
Spurs have only won seven corners across their last four matches so it could pay to be against a lot of flag kicks here. Under 9.5 corners is priced at 5/4 by Coral while backing Fulham at -1 in the corner handicap pays evens with BetVictor.
When one side looks too strong, a handicap bet can even things up. Learn how in our Handicap Betting Masterclass.
Fulham vs Tottenham Hotspur Betting Tips & Predictions
Fulham to win
15/13
UniBet
Xavi Simons over 0.5 shots on target
13/10
Ladbrokes
Under 9.5 corners
5/4
Coral
Further Reading