Tottenham were expected to field a weakened side in their Premier League opener against Newcastle as several of their key players returned late from the World Cup following their team progress to the semifinal stage.
However, Mauricio Pochettino thought otherwise and the Argentine boss fielded six players who played at the World Cup semifinals, and it was obvious that most of them were match rusty.
However, they still got the job done with a 2-1 win over Rafa Benitez’s side with goals from Jan Vertoghen and Dele Ali coming on either side of an equalizer from Joselu.
Fulham won the Playoff last season and they are determined to spend some time in the English top flight after that. This desire has prompted them to spend some money in the last transfer window, even more than some established names and at least £100 million more than their host in this game.
However, their return to the top flight did not start on a very good note as they lost their first game 2-0 at home last weekend to Crystal Palace. That must have been a very rude welcoming and they would be determined not to lose a second London derby is as many matches.
Fulham have lost their last 18 away games against Spurs.
