Tottenham v Fulham: Lewis Holtby hoping for Fulham victory as win would mean more to Cottagers in bid for survival

Holtby is on loan from Spurs until the end of the season and while he can't take part in the match, he is hoping that the Cottagers emerge victorious in their fight to avoid relegation

Tottenham midfielder Lewis Holtby, on loan with Fulham, is hoping the Cottagers beat his parent club in order to avoid relegation (Getty Images)

On loan Fulham midfielder Lewis Holby is hopeful that the relegation strugglers can earn a precious victory against Tottenham on Saturday even though he is due to return to the White Hart Lane club at the end of the season.

The 23-year-old has been on loan at Craven Cottage since January after falling out of favour with Spurs manager Tim Sherwood, and although he is ineligible to take part in the lunchtime kick-off due to his loan terms, Holtby is cheering for a Fulham win.

Despite maintaining a belief that he can build a long and successful career with Spurs, the German feels that a victory for the Cottagers would be more important in helping them remain in the Premier League , as he explained in the Evening Standard.

“It’s a tough game for me, because I’m on loan from Tottenham but Fulham need the three points more at the moment to stay up,” he said. “I signed a long contract at Spurs and I was hoping to have a long future at the club. I still believe in my quality and that I can play for Tottenham.

“I was desperate to have some games. I hate being on the bench. I love being on the pitch and expressing myself and Fulham have given me the chance to play high-quality football in the Premier League.

“Every game is exciting now and we believe we can win all four of those that remain. For example, we play Stoke on May 3 and they are essentially safe, so maybe they won’t be that tense.”

Current Spurs head coach Tim Sherwood is not believed to rate Holtby highly but as he is to leave at the end of the season, Holtby is watching the situation closely. Holland coach Louis van Gaal has supporters in the Spurs boardroom.

Holtby added on talkSPORT: “I think he would be able to adjust. He’s proved in the Dutch league, the Spanish league and the German league that he’s a top manager. You can see his influence in the way the current Bayern Munich team play.”