FA Cup 
/ Feizal Rahman / 29 January 2011 / Leave a Comment 
Former Tottenham favourite Simon Davies should figure against his old side
"Four of the last six meetings at Craven Cottage have seen three goals or more and taking into consideration that this is both a London derby and a cup tie, Over 2.5 Goals can be backed before going In-Play at around [2.0]."
Feizal Rahman sees goals in this London derby under the floodlights at Craven Cottage
Fulham welcome fellow Londoners Tottenham Hotspur this Sunday for their fourth round FA Cup clash. Few clubs can match Spurs' rich history in this competition and having won in 1921, 1961, 1981 and 1991, the Lilywhites will be looking for similar success in this particular year ending in '1'.
Manager Harry Redknapp will have to do without his star of the season, Gareth Bale, who is out with a back injury while Wilson Palacios is a doubt. However, Benoit Assou-Ekotto, Heurelho Gomes and Roman Pavlyuchenko are expected to return to the squad.
Fulham may start with new addition Steve Sidwell though loan signing Gael Kakuta is cup tied having already appeared for Chelsea in the previous round. Long term absentees Bobby Zamora and Philippe Senderos are still working their way back to full fitness while Mark Schwarzer remains on international duty.
Match Odds - Fulham [3.1], Tottenham [2.5], Draw [3.5]
Fulham have recently improved upon their shoddy pre-Christmas form with four wins in the last seven in all competitions, though they have suffered two away defeats since the turn of the year. At home this season, the Cottagers have been beaten by Premier League opposition on just three occasions - one of which was a 2-1 loss to Spurs back in October - but have won only a third of their 12 games at Craven Cottage.
Spurs, meanwhile, are on a solid run with just one loss in the last 15 domestically and in Europe. Redknapp's side have made a concerted effort this season to strengthen their once feeble away performances but four wins on the road in all competitions, with six losses, still leaves much room for improvement. Yet, victories at Arsenal and Aston Villa in adverse circumstances hinted at what this current team is capable of.
In completing a league double over their opponents this season, Spurs extended Fulham's winless run against them to seven games. Yet, at Craven Cottage, the home side have won six of 14 encounters dating back to 1998, losing just four. However, in cup competition, Spurs have the upper hand winning four of the last five meetings. .
Under/Over 2.5 Goals
Fulham have failed to score in just two home matches this term while Tottenham have been shut out on their travels twice. Yet, having seen the goals fly in during their first half of the season, six of Tottenham's last eight league matches have seen two goals or fewer - a statistic that has been replicated by Fulham. However, four of the last six meetings at Craven Cottage have seen three goals or more and taking into consideration that this is both a London derby and a cup tie, Over 2.5 Goals can be backed before going In-Play at around [2.0].
First Goalscorer
Fulham have taken the lead in seven home games this season. Clint Dempsey has three in his last five and seven in total at the Cottage this season, while Diomansy Kamara netted a hat-trick in the third round win over Peterborough. Each is around [8.0] to be First Goalscorer. Meanwhile, Rafael Van der Vaart has four goals from his last four away appearances and the Dutch midfielder is around [3.0] To Score at any time.
Bookings Odds
Mark Hughes' men are the best behaved team in the Premier League this season and there have been just 13 yellows shown in total in the last 10 games at Craven Cottage. To their credit, Tottenham have received only 5 cautions in their last six away games so it may pay to back 5 pts and Under in the Booking Odds market at around [2.7].
Best Bet: Over 2.5 Goals @ [2.0]
Recommended Bet: 5 pts and Under Bookings Odds @ [2.7]
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