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."
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%
Khadija 'Bunny' Shaw among 16 nominees for The Best FIFA Women’s Player award for 2024
Jamaica and Manchester City striker Khadija 'Bunny' Shaw has been named among the nominees for The Best FIFA Women’s Player award for 2024.
The 27-year-old is one of 16 sensational players are in contention for the coveted prize, with the nominees selected based on their performances between 21 August 2023 and 10 August 2024.
Shaw’s performances for Manchester City during that period can only be described by one word: dominant.
In eight weeks at the turn of the year, the prolific Shaw nabbed a hat-trick of hat-tricks for her club side, on the way to joining Sam Kerr as the only non-European players to have won the Golden Boot award in England’s Women’s Super League.
Her tally of 21 league goals for Manchester City was also the joint third-highest in a single WSL campaign.
That torrent of goals also saw the Jamaican star scoop plenty of individual honours, including the WSL Player of the Season award.
The winner of the award will be announced during an awards ceremony in January 2025.
PSG must remain 'positive' despite Bayern defeat, says Luis Enrique
Luis Enrique said Paris Saint-Germain must stay positive ahead of their return to domestic action despite losing to Bayern Munich in the Champions League in midweek.
The Parisiens slumped to a 1-0 defeat at the Allianz Arena on Tuesday, falling to 25th place in the new 36-team standings and four points off the play-off places.
PSG have lost three of their five matches in the Champions League this season (W1 D1), their most defeats in a single group stage campaign in the competition since 2004-05 (three), the last time they failed to reach the knockout stages.
However, Luis Enrique did not want to dwell on his latest defeat, instead urging his players to continue their fine form in Ligue 1 on Saturday at home to Nantes.
"From what we saw, it was positive. We played against a contender for the final away from home," Luis Enrique said.
"I liked what I saw, despite everything, there are always points to improve. But it's important to stay positive.
"Bayern are one of the favourites to win the final. We applied the same pressure as usual. I tried to change things.
"I haven't seen a team that has troubled them more than us this season.
"I feel confident. We should have nine points in the Champions League. I'm not hiding behind that. I liked what I saw in Munich. I'm very optimistic."
PSG sit top of the Ligue 1 standings after collecting 32 points from their 12 games so far this season.
This is the sixth time they have won as many points at this stage of a campaign in the top-flight (after 1985-86, 2015-16, 2017-18, 2018-19 and 2022-23).
And Luis Enrique can be confident that his side will return to winning ways given their impressive record against this weekend's opponents.
PSG have scored in each of their last 26 games in Ligue 1 against Nantes (64 goals in total), the longest run in their history against an opponent in the top-flight.
However, Nantes could become the team to have beaten PSG the most times in Ligue 1 in the 21st century (currently at 27, tied with Marseille), with a win on Saturday.
And despite sitting 16th in the table, Luis Enrique believes Nantes' performances this season have merited more points than the 10 they have managed so far.
"(Nantes) have fewer points than the team deserves. They're coming into the game on a run of (four league) defeats, but I'm expecting a tough game," he added.
"We need to keep racking up wins and get into good habits with a view to the Champions League."
De Jong must fight for Barcelona spot, says Flick ahead of Las Palmas clash
Hansi Flick has challenged Frenkie de Jong to earn his spot in the Barcelona line-up as the Blaugrana prepare to face Las Palmas in LaLiga on Saturday.
The 27-year-old midfielder was sidelined for several months this year due to a persistent ankle injury before returning to action in October.
De Jong has featured from the bench on four occasions in the Spanish top-flight since and was withdrawn at half-time in a 1-0 defeat to Real Sociedad before the international break in his only start this term.
The Netherlands international was also booed during Barca's 3-0 win against Brest in the Champions League on Tuesday.
"He must deal with this situation. He must regain his confidence," Flick said.
"We look at every game to win. We want to play with the best team and based on that we make the eleven.
"He will be back, but it takes time. For me he was injured and now he is progressing well, and personally, three or four weeks ago, when he started playing, he had a different mentality.
"Now he's back after the international break and we support him, but we have a lot of midfielders. Those who are at 100% will play. He has to show the level. He is progressing, we follow him and we support him."
De Jong made 20 appearances and scored two goals for the club during the 2023-24 LaLiga season, despite ankle issues hampering his campaign on multiple occasions.
Leaders Barcelona are winless in two matches in LaLiga, having also settled for a 2-2 draw with Celta Vigo last week, but enjoy a four-point lead over second-placed Real Madrid, who have a game in hand.
It is a marked difference in results for Flick's side, who had won 15 of their previous 16 league matches prior to their defeat to Sociedad.
Making it more challenging for Barca is a run of five games in 19 days, when they will play Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League and Atletico Madrid in LaLiga.
"I think I speak for the whole team when I say that the best thing today is to win Saturday's game," the Barcelona boss said.
"We don't care what happens next Tuesday or in Dortmund. What concerns us and occupies us is the game against Las Palmas. We want to build on what we saw against Brest.
"We want to show this, also to the fans. The best players will play, and those who are the best."
Flick will be boosted by the return of Lamine Yamal, who has missed their last three matches.
Barca have not won a single LaLiga game without the 17-year-old in the starting 11. They won 11 games with him starting and lost twice and drew once in matches where he did not start.
"He's back, he's ready to play. I don't know if he will start. But he will play," Flick said.
"I hope the team is well prepared. It showed in the session. Some players are coming back. We are in a good situation."
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