Tottenham Hotspur take on Fulham on Sunday afternoon.
Dimitar Berbatov (C) celebrates scoring for Tottenham
Dimitar Berbatov has told Tottenham Hotspur’s official website that Spurs cannot afford to underestimate Fulham in Sunday’s FA Cup clash.
Tottenham have suffered a tough week, as they were beaten 2-0 away at Liverpool last Saturday to end their nine-game unbeaten Premier League run, and then lost in the Europa League too.
Spurs travelled to Belgium to take on Gent on Thursday evening, and slipped to a shock 1-0 defeat as Jeremy Perbet’s second half strike condemned Mauricio Pochettino’s men to defeat.
On Sunday, Spurs make the short trip to West London, as they face a tricky FA Cup tie against Championship outfit Fulham at Craven Cottage.
Slavisa Jokanovic’s side knocked out Premier League opposition in the last round by beating Hull City at Craven Cottage, and Tottenham must be wary of slipping up against their London rivals.
A number of players have represented both teams over the years, including Paul Konchesky, Stephen Kelly, Scott Parker, Danny Murphy, Lewis Holtby, Adel Taarabt, Darren Bent, Bobby Zamora and Louis Saha, but few are quite as notable as Dimitar Berbatov.
The mercurial Bulgarian became a Tottenham hero with 46 goals in 102 games following a 2006 move from Bayer Leverkusen, and later ended up at Fulham, hitting 20 goals in 54 appearances.
Often a fan favourite, Berbatov has commented on Sunday’s clash, telling the Tottenham official website that he just wants to see good football and isn’t picking sides having played for both teams.
Berbatov did though offer a stern warning to Tottenham, urging them not to underestimate Fulham, as anything can happen in the Premier League – like Lincoln’s win over Burnley this weekend – and claims he doesn’t know who will win Sunday’s meeting.
Dimitar Berbatov during him time with Fulham
“When I watch a team I used to play for, or two of my former teams play each other, then I’m not in favour of anyone, I just want to see good football with brains, combinations and an effort to try to play football the way football is meant to be played, on the grass,” said Berbatov. “Tottenham play this football now and that’s why they are in the top four in England.”
“Fulham, when I was there, tried to play that football as well. They are now in the Championship but again, they have a good coach (Slavisa Jokanovic), I remember him because he used to work in Bulgaria, he’s teaching them to play the same way and they are in good form.”
“On paper, it looks like Tottenham are favourites to win, you can say that. But when you go there and play at Craven Cottage it will be difficult if you underestimate this Fulham team, because anything can happen in the FA Cup. When I watch, I will be hoping for a good game. Who is going to win? I don’t know,” he added.
What’s your prediction for Fulham v Tottenham?
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
