STATS:Riise’s shooting accuracy for Fulham vs Gallas’ top interceptions for Tottenham Hotspur
Fulham vs. Tottenham Hotspur (15:00)
Fulham battled excellently to hold Chelsea to a draw at Stamford Bridge, and will be in confident mood heading into this clash against fellow Londoners Tottenham. An in-form Spurs will provide a stern test for the Cottagers however:
– John Arne Riise failed to convert either of two clear chances against Chelsea. Nevertheless, the left-back has an unmatched rate of shooting accuracy amongst his teammates with 90% of his shots being on target so far this season. This is much better than Dimitar Berbatov’s sixteen from twenty-eight (just over 57 percent).
– Steve Sidwell endured a frustrating time at Stamford Bridge, but is the only player in the entire league to have notched up 40 successful tackles this season according to the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index.
– Dimitar Berbatov has arguably been Fulham’s standout player of the season so far. The Bulgarian is capable of strong defensive play as well as getting forward, he’s made 32 interceptions at a rate of one every 28.5 minutes this season, a rate that is unmatched by any of his team mates.
– Aaron Hughes has been fantastic in his reading of the game at the back for Fulham this season. He currently sits third on the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index for interceptions with a huge 103.
– Fulham are having very little luck at the moment. They’ve failed to win any of their last six league games despite scoring nine goals, drawing four in the same period.
Tottenham are on a high after a solid victory over Liverpool on Wednesday, and seem to be past the recent run of three defeats that damaged their hopes of a top-four finish. Gareth Bale is in top gear once again, and will aim to frighten Fulham’s defenders at the weekend:
– Bale made up for his own goal against Liverpool with the match-winning strike, and moved to seventh on the list of the league’s top scorers. The Welshman has hit 29 shots on target so far this season, more than any player in the league other than Luis Suarez according to the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index.
– His midfield teammate Aaron Lennon also found the net in midweek, and has a better rate of shooting accuracy than Bale this season with 63.6 percent from 11 shots.
– For the second time in less than a week, Raniere Sandro was Spurs’ hardest working outfield player. He covered 6.26 miles against Liverpool, and none of his teammates managed to notch up more than 6 miles.
– William Gallas continues to prove that age does not diminish natural instincts, as even at 35 he is still Tottenham’s best reader of the game this season, racking up 58 interceptions.
– Tottenham are having no problems putting the ball in the back of the net at the moment, and are the only league side to have done so at least twice during each of their last three games.