Jose Mourinho takes charge of Tottenham Hotspur for the first time as they visit West Ham at the London Stadium.
West Ham can go tenth with victory ahead of the afternoon games, whilst Tottenham will leap up to sixth with a win ahead of Arsenal’s clash with Southampton.
Team news
Embed from Getty ImagesJack Wilshire is set to return for West Ham after missing the past month with a groin injury.
Michail Antonio (thigh) and Mark Noble (ankle) are also fully fit and available for selection.
Manuel Lanzini (shoulder) and Lukasz Fabianski (hip) are both ruled out and won’t be available for the next month.
Tottenham could be without Jan Vertonghen (hamstring) and Tanguy Ndombele (groin) but the pair will get fitness tests.
Hugo Lloris (elbow), Michel Vorm (calf) and Erik Lamela (thigh) are all definitely ruled out for the foreseeable future.
Form
West Ham come into this game with just a single point in their last five matches, despite scoring in all three home games in that period.
Tottenham are also winless in their last five league games but have taken three 1-1 draws in that run, including in their last two outings against Everton and Sheffield United.
Stat Attack
- West Ham are unbeaten in three of their last five meetings with Tottenham in all competitions (W2, D1, L2).
- Both league meetings last season were won 1-0 by the away team.
- West Ham last took consecutive wins over Spurs in the 2013-14 season when they did the league double, but their last calendar year double came in 1999.
- Son Heung-Min is the only Tottenham player to produce more than one league assist this season, doing so on three occasions.
- No West Ham player has hit the woodwork more than once this season.
Prediction
West Ham will be relieved that the international breaks are over until March because the past month has been a disaster for them in terms of quality and passion, despite having the gameplay to challenge for victories.
Tottenham meanwhile seem to be lacking any spark on the pitch at present, which was evident in how Sheffield United ripped their flanks apart last time out.
I can therefore see a tight attacking game between two quality teams, although a point apiece would be a solid start for Mourinho’s Spurs.
Prediction: West Ham United 1-1 Tottenham Hotspur
Result: West Ham United 2-3 Tottenham Hotspur