Tottenham need to get used to life without Vicario, according to Postecoglou

Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou played down the chances of getting a free agent goalkeeper in to replace the injured Guglielmo Vicario.

Vicario underwent surgery on a broken ankle sustained during their 4-0 victory over Manchester City last weekend, though Postecoglou suggested he was happy to play Fraser Forster when asked about the possibility of a new face coming in.

"No, that is not going to happen. That's why we've got a squad of players. I don't think us signing a free agent now is going to help us. If I hadn't named Fraser [Forster] in the European squad, that would've been a radical decision," said Postecoglou.

"When you're left with two and they couldn't play in Europe, then you would kind of look at it but unless something else happened, that's why we've got four goalkeepers.

"Young Luca [Gunter], who to be fair has been injured and is not ready, but Fraser I've known for a long time and he's such a strong character within the group and he's ready to play.

"Brandon [Austin] is improving all the time. Alfie [Whiteman] has also sort of been at the club for a while and whatever has been asked, the training capacity that they bring, we are more than capable with what we've got."

When asked about Vicario's recovery following his operation, Postecoglou explained that the Italian is going to be unavailable for the long term.

"It's not going to be weeks, it's going to be months. He's had surgery and with surgery, there are certain timelines and because it is Vic," he said.

"I don't like giving timelines so early in the process on something like that because it puts undue pressure on the player and also, maybe some expectations. I think once we get past the rehab stage, we will have a clearer idea."

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— Opta Analyst (@OptaAnalyst) November 23, 2024

Fulham player Antonee Robinson, meanwhile, is heading into the match full of confidence after claiming that Tottenham "are not unbeatable by any stretch".

“We’re going to have had a little bit longer break, us playing Saturday and not having a midweek game, they’re going to have a tough game [against Roma in the Europa League on Thursday]," he said.

“So going into it, hopefully fresh legs play a bit of a factor in our favour. If we’re on form and playing how well we can play, I think we go toe to toe with anyone.”

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Tottenham – Dejan Kulusevski

Kulusevski has scored two goals and supplied two assists in his last seven league games for Tottenham.

He finished with an assist in Tottenham's 4-0 victory over Manchester City last weekend, while he has also created more chances than any other Premier League player this season (33).

Fulham – Emile Smith Rowe

Smith Rowe has directly contributed to five Fulham goals this season, scoring three and assisting two.

His most recent goal was the opener in Fulham's last away game, in which they beat Crystal Palace 2-0 in November.

MATCH PREDICTION: TOTTENHAM WIN

Tottenham come into this match having won 4-0 away to Manchester City in their last league game.

The hosts are sixth in the table with 19 points after 12 matches and have won four (L2) of their six league matches at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this season.

Tottenham have lost just one of their last 14 Premier League home games against Fulham (W10 D3), with that 1-0 defeat coming in March 2013.

Despite beating Spurs 3-0 in their last Premier League meeting in March, Fulham were winless in their previous nine (D1 L8) against them.

Marco Silva's side have won just two (D2 L2) of their six away games in the Premier League this season.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Tottenham – 54.6%

Draw – 21.7%

Southampton – 23.6%