The Premier League continues this weekend with a highly anticipated London derby Tottenham Hotspur Welcome West Ham United to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Both teams will be looking to recover from the mixed results before the international break. Spurs will be looking to bounce back from their disastrous loss to Brighton, while the Hammers will be looking to build on their comfortable win over Ipswich Town.
Game preview
Tottenham were on their way to a comfortable win Amex Stadium Two weeks ago they were 2-0 up thanks to goals from in-form duo Brennan Johnson and James Maddison.
However, a remarkable second-half capitulation saw the Lilywhites surrender their lead and ultimately suffer a 3-2 defeat.
Manager Ange Postecoglou was understandably furious at his team’s capitulation, describing it as his worst result since taking over.
The Australian will be keen to see his side return to their early season form after starting the campaign strongly before the setback on the south coast.
For West Ham, the international break was a much-needed reprieve after a difficult start to the season. The Hammers emphatically managed to snap a five-game winless streak Ipswich 4-1 at the London Stadium.
Michail Antonio’s early opener set the tone and further goals from Mohammed Kudus, Jarrod Bowen and Lucas Paqueta secured Julen Lopetegui’s men a comfortable win.
The Hammers will now look to build on this result and climb up the table, with a win at Tottenham potentially taking them level on points with their London rivals.
Head to head
The recent record of direct duels between these two teams makes for interesting reading.
West Ham have had the upper hand in recent years, winning the last two league meetings between the clubs.
In fact, the Hammers’ 2-1 comeback win at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in December 2023 was their last away win against Spurs.
However, the last time West Ham won away from home in the league against Tottenham was in the 1990s, when England won the World Cup between those two triumphs.
Team news
Spurs fans will be eagerly awaiting news on Talisman’s fitness Son Heung-minwho suffered a hamstring injury while playing for South Korea.
The striker is one of three players next to him Richarlison And Lucas Bergvallwhich Postecoglou will be sweating over before the weekend. Bergvall suffered a slight calf problem while representing Sweden but was unable to start under any circumstances.
defender Wilson Odobert remains sidelined due to a thigh injury.
West Ham’s only selection concern is the fitness of their summer signing Niclas Vollkrugwho still has an Achilles tendon problem.
However, Lopetegui is unlikely to find a winning formula with Antonio set to take the lead again against their London rivals.
forecast
This game has the potential to be an entertaining affair as both teams have strong attacking threats.
Spurs will be determined to bounce back from their disastrous loss to Brighton, while West Ham will be buoyed by their recent win over Ipswich.
Given the defensive weaknesses on both sides, we could be in for another goal-scoring encounter. Ultimately, I expect Tottenham to win this game as home advantage will prove crucial in a closely contested London derby.
Betting tips
It should be a closely contested game with both teams capable of scoring. I would recommend thinking about it “Both teams score” market, as this has landed in four of the last five league meetings between Spurs and West Ham.
As for the final result, I believe Tottenham will come out victorious, but that might require a narrow one-goal margin.
As for the total number of goals, given the offensive prowess and defensive weaknesses on display, I would suggest considering the Over 2.5 Goals market as a good possibility.