West Ham United host their London rivals Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday, in their first derby of the season. The Hammers are looking for their third consecutive win over the Lilywhites for the first time since 1999. Both the sides are also drawn in the next round of EFL Cup.
Coming into this game, West Ham are in a relatively good run of form. The Hammers somewhat managed to recover from their awful start to the campaign with a three-match unbeaten streak in all competitions. In fact, they could also keep three consecutive clean sheets for the first time since April, a run which culminated in the 1-0 home win over Tottenham.
West Ham are also vying to win their opening two Premier League home games for the first time since 2012-13 season. The hosts boast a strong record against their rivals, with coach Slaven Bilic winning all of his three home matches against Mauricio Pochettino as a manager. Twice with West Ham and the other, while he was in charge of Besiktas in the 2014-15 Europa League campaign.
Tottenham on the other hand also endured a mixed start to the campaign. Following a sensational win against German giants Borussia Dortmund, the Lilywhites were held by Swansea at home – a performance which drove a lot of criticism from fans.
Mauricio Pochettinho will look to overcome the slump, partly with the help of midweek’s 1-0 win over Barnsley in the EFL cup. Despite their poor home record this season, Spurs have managed to win all of their away matches so far and they could equal their club record of five successive Premier League away wins, set from December 2013 to January 2014 with a win against West Ham this weekend.
Team News
West Ham United will be boosted by the return of captain Mark Noble. The midfielder missed the last two games due to a knee injury. However, Manuel Lanzini, who scored the winning goal in their last meeting against Tottenham, will miss the encounter despite returning from training. Midfielder Pedro Obiang is also missing after picking up a knock against West Brom. James Collins was another casualty in the West Brom game, with the defender sustaining a sprained ankle, which will keep him out for the next few weeks.
Tottenham, on the other hand, won’t have to deal with any significant injuries at the moment. Ben Davies was left out of the squad last week due to an ankle injury but he is expected to return to action this weekend. Victor Wanyama, Danny Rose, and Erik Lamela only remain the long-term absentees for Spurs.
Predicted Lineups
West Ham(3-4-3 formation): Joe Hart; Jose Fonte, Winston Reid, Angelo Ogbonna; Pablo Zabaleta, Cheikhou Kouyate, Mark Noble, Aaron Cresswell; Michail Antonio, Andy Carroll, Javier Hernandez.
Tottenham Hotspur(3-4-2-1 formation): Hugo Lloris; Toby Alderweireld, Davinson Sanchez, Jan Vertonghen; Serge Aurier, Eric Dier, Moussa Dembele, Ben Davies; Dele Alli, Christian Eriksen; Harry Kane.
Prediction
West Ham 0-2 Tottenham
Odds
West Ham United: 5/1
Draw: 10/3
Tottenham Hotspur: 3/5
