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West Ham welcome Tottenham Hotspur to London Stadium in a blockbuster London derby as both teams look to boost their bids for a top four finish.
Victory would see West Ham leapfrog Tottenham and go fourth, whereas Spurs themselves can go fourth with at least a draw at minimum.
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Vladimir Coufal is a doubt for West Ham as he continues to struggle with a groin injury.
Alex Kral is expected to remain absent despite being free from self-isolation on the day of this match, having tested positive for Coronavirus prior to last Sunday’s league win at Everton.
Tottenham manager, Nuno Espirito Santo could recall several first team regulars including Harry Kane and Son Heung-min, who were left out of Thursday’s Europa Conference League loss at Vitesse.
Matt Doherty (knock) and Ryan Sessegnon (fitness) remain ruled out.
Stat Attack
- West Ham are unbeaten in three of their last five meetings against Tottenham (W2, D1, L2).
- Tottenham have won three of five previous league trips to West Ham’s London Stadium (W3, L2).
- Both opening goals in last season’s fixtures between West Ham and Tottenham were scored in opening five minutes, with those specific goals being netted by the home team on both occasions.
- No West Ham player has created more passes in their opening eight league matches than Declan Rice, who has produced 489 passes in eight appearances.
- Four of Tottenham’s nine league goals in their opening eight matches have been scored by Son Heung-min.
Prediction
West Ham come into this match off the back of a clinical home win over Genk on Thursday evening in the Europa League, yet Spurs will be a tougher test but the Hammers certainly can cause issues if they continue their impressive pressing style and clinically take their chances if get on the front foot.
Tottenham meanwhile cannot afford to repeat their sloppy start which they made at Newcastle despite showing excellent spirit and pace to tear the Magpies’ defence apart, yet the decision to rest their first team in Thursday’s Europa Conference League backfired with defeat at Vitesse.
I therefore wouldn’t be surprised if Spurs’ first team regulars are back with a fresh energy and ready to attack this derby full on given their poor form in London derbies this season, although West Ham will definitely be difficult to silence throughout the match given Tottenham’s defensive issues.
On that note, a draw would be a good result for both teams otherwise Nuno Espirito Santo’s decision to rest his key players could be the difference for Spurs.
Prediction: West Ham 1-2 Tottenham Hotspur
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