West Ham United vs Tottenham Hotspur
Just two seasons ago this fixture, Premier League: West Ham vs Spurs would have been a relegation struggler against a Champions League regular.
The Hammers looked all but doomed when head coach David Moyes returned to the London Stadium in 2019, but he pulled off a nervy escape, while Spurs pushed for a top-four place. But how times have changed and how quickly. West Ham currently sit seventh in the league table and a single point behind Spurs in fifth and are in the Europa League after a sixth-placed finish last term.
Tottenham are also in Europe’s second-tier competition, finishing a place below the Hammers in seventh last season. Moyes remains in charge of a buoyant West Ham while their visitors are under a new manager, Nuno Espirito Santo. The two teams are aiming for similar things this season, another tilt at European football while going deep into the cup competitions.
And on Sunday they are also playing for London Pride.
Talking Points
Soucek okay to play
Moyes visited his old club Everton last week and a 1-0 win away to the Toffees was a superb response to a shock defeat at home to new boys Brentford before the international break. All in all the Hammers have made a quicker start this season, in seventh place with 14 points compared to 13th with 11 points this time last year. But that priceless win at Goodison Park came at a cost for midfield star Tomas Soucek who was caught full in the face by the studs of Everton striker Salomon Rondon, totally accidentally. The collision left the Czech Republic star with nasty cuts near his eye and on his nose and mouth. The player has had plastic surgery to repair the damage, but Moyes says he’s fit to play when Spurs head to the East End.
Soucek is a crucial player for the Hammers, a key figure in the club’s transformation from a flaky relegation candidate to a hard-to-beat European qualifier. His box to box running and eye for a goal have made him one of the first names on the West Ham team sheet, alongside midfield partner Declan Rice and striker Michail Antonio. Rice really came of age at Euro 2020 with his mature and all-action displays, while Antonio enjoyed his renaissance as soon as Moyes arrived at the London Stadium. He’s already scored five goals and made three assists this campaign, and attacking midfielder Said Benrahma has looked lively too, contributing three goals. He could face some competition from summer recruit Nikola Vlasic though; the Croatian is pushing for a start.
Kane off the mark for Spurs
Nuno Espirito Santo’s career as head coach at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium started just as he’d hoped, a 1-0 win over Manchester City the first of five consecutive victories, three in the league and two on the Europa League. But a 3-0 defeat to Crystal Palace shook them up and the Whites went on to lose to Chelsea and Arsenal, before getting back to winning ways when Spurs wrecked the party at Newcastle, following the multi-billion Saudi takeover of the Northeast strugglers.
Away from the media circus at Newcastle, the most notable event was Harry Kane’s first league goal of the season. The prolific striker has a habit of making a slow start but, following a summer of transfer speculation, seven games without a goal was a concern. But after Tanguy Ndombele had levelled for Spurs, Kane struck midway through the first half before Heung-Min Son scored his fourth goal of the campaign to take the game away from the Magpies.
Spurs travel to Arnhem for a Europa League tie on Thursday night and Nuno has given the ten outfield players who started at Newcastle a break. So we will see a refreshed Kane lining up at West Ham and, as he has proved time and time again, once he scores one goal the flood gates tend to open.
History
The Whites have won almost half of the West Ham vs Spurs results in the Premier League era, with 27 victories to West Ham’s 18 and there have been ten draws
The two sides last met in February when the Hammers ran out 2-1 winners. It was their seventh win in nine games, a run which lifted them to fourth place in the table, while Spurs languished in ninth. Michail Antonio and Jesse Lingard gave West Ham a 2-0 lead before Lucas Moura halved the deficit and, while Spurs hit the woodwork twice in the second half, the Hammers hung on for the win.
Both teams are in decent form, winning four of the last six games and losing the other two. It promises to be an entertaining clash with each side going for the win, so let’s take a look at the West Ham vs Spurs betting odds and make a call.
Betting Tip
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West Ham United vs Tottenham Hotspur | Over 2.50 @ 1.84 |
| October 24, 21:00 (GMT+8) |
The Hammers are slight favourites at SBOTOP odds of 2.43, Spurs are 2.66 and the draw is 3.20. I’m leaning towards the visitors, now that Kane is off the mark, but West Ham have shown they can beat anyone.
So I’m backing the strikers to perform… and produce a high scoring game.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR ( ) BETS ARE WORTH: |
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 = €20 (Highly confident) |
= €10 (CONFIDENT) |
= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT) |
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Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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