Clint Dempsey is desperate to beat Wisla Krakow tomorrow night and keep Fulham’s European destiny in their own hands.
The American watched on television as Fulham were beaten 1-0 in Poland last month and is promising a different kind of contest to one in Krakow, where Martin Jol’s were reduced to ten men in the first half after Moussa Dembele’s controversial sending off. Dempsey knows a victory at the Cottage tomorrow night is vital after Wisla’s win over the Whites left them just a point behind second-placed Fulham in the Group K table.
It’s an important game for us and we definitely need the points.
We don’t want to be waiting until the last game or hoping other results to go our way. Hopefully we’ll keep our destiny in our hands and get the right result. We want to get out of the group because we want to go on a nice little run and make the most of being in the competition.
As you would expect for someone who starred in Fulham’s last European run – scoring that memorable winner against Juventus – Dempsey has fond memories of the competition.
I have some great memories playing in these games, getting to the Europa League final last time we were in was something I’ll never forget. It’s nice to be in this competition because you get the opportunity to play against teams from all over.
Turning his attention back to tomorrow’s fixture, Dempsey believes Fulham will play at a higher tempo than in Poland.
Because we were a man down it was difficult to press them. Given space and time on the ball they can hurt you but you’ll see a different game tomorrow.
