Currently sitting at fifth place, Spurs are trailing behind fourth-placed Aston Villa by three points. On the other hand, West Ham stands at seventh place, with a four-point gap from sixth-placed Manchester United. West Ham's recent form has been shaky, with a disappointing 4-3 loss against Newcastle United, marking their third consecutive winless game.
David Moyes's team faces a tough lineup with back-to-back league matches against Tottenham and Wolverhampton Wanderers before heading into the Europa League quarter-final against Bayer Leverkusen.
West Ham's home record has been decent this season, having only suffered three defeats out of 15 matches. However, Tottenham has struggled on the road, managing only six wins out of 14 away fixtures.
Looking back, West Ham had secured a victory over Tottenham earlier in the season, but the teams settled for a draw in their previous encounter at the London Stadium. Meanwhile, Tottenham comes into this match on the back of a dramatic victory over Luton Town, with Son Heung-min scoring the winning goal.
With Tottenham eyeing a comeback into the top four, they need to secure a convincing win. However, their recent away form has been inconsistent, as highlighted by their 3-0 loss to Fulham before the international break.
Despite the uncertainties, Tottenham remains focused on their league campaign, with no distractions from FA Cup or European competitions. Securing the fifth spot seems crucial for Champions League qualification next season, and they are determined to fend off the competition from Manchester United.
INJURIES & SUSPENSION
West Ham is facing a potential setback as their top goalkeeper, Alphonse Areola, is likely to miss the upcoming match due to a thigh injury sustained against Newcastle. Consequently, Lukasz Fabianski is expected to step in as the starting goalkeeper.While Nayef Aguerd is expected to be fit after sitting out the previous match, Edson Alvarez remains unavailable due to suspension.
The participation of Michail Antonio hinges on a late fitness test, but if he passes, he will likely feature in the starting lineup alongside Tomas Soucek and James Ward-Prowse in midfield.
On the Tottenham side, Ryan Sessegnon, Fraser Forster, and Manor Solomon remain sidelined, but there are no new injury concerns following the Luton match.
Manager Ange Postecoglou is likely to make some changes from the last game, with Brennan Johnson possibly earning a starting spot. This could mean Dejan Kulusevski moving to the bench. Additionally, Richarlison and Micky van de Ven, who are now fit, might replace Timo Werner and Radu Dragusin in the starting lineup.
There's also the option of Rodrigo Bentancur joining the side, as the injury situation improves. However, James Maddison is expected to retain his place as the team's number 10.
POSSIBLE LINE-UPS
West Ham United possible starting lineup:Fabianski; Coufal, Mavropanos, Zouma, Emerson; Ward-Prowse, Soucek; Bowen, Paqueta, Kudus; Antonio
Tottenham Hotspur possible starting lineup:
Vicario; Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Udogie; Sarr, Bissouma; Johnson, Maddison, Son; Richarlison
EXPERT PREDICTION
West Ham 1-1 Tottenham
West Ham is eager to recover from their heartbreaking loss to Newcastle and is determined to put up a strong fight against Tottenham in the upcoming London derby. With both teams evenly matched, it's hard to predict the outcome, but we anticipate a close contest resulting in a low-scoring draw at the London Stadium, with both sides sharing the points.
