Spurs are still awaiting their first top-flight triumph at Wembley, their home for the 2017/18 campaign, but they have been perfect on the road up to now. Indeed, it is thanks to the six points they collected against Newcastle United at St James’ Park and against Everton at Goodison Park that Mauricio Pochettino’s men remain in touch at the top of the table, with joint-leaders Manchester City and Manchester United five points ahead of fifth-placed Tottenham. Winning the league remains the target for Spurs this year, and although that objective will be difficult to attain given their temporary move away from White Hart Lane, a string of wins in the coming weeks would probably lift Tottenham into an even more promising position in the table.
West Ham manager Slaven Bilic found himself under significant pressure after his team lost each of their first three games of the season, but a triumph over Huddersfield Town and draw with West Bromwich Albion has since lifted the Hammers out of the bottom three. The mood has also improved around the London Stadium ahead of this clash with West Ham’s chief Premier League rivals, although another couple of defeats is all it would take for the east Londoners to be subjected to heavy scrutiny once more. Question marks remain about the balance, organisation and tactical coherence of the side – while Bilic has been criticised for failing to get the most out of the players at his disposal – but a pair of clean sheets and four points from the last two outings represents a clear step in the right direction.
Tottenham will have to make do without long-term absentee Erik Lamela (hip), Victor Wanyama (knee) and Danny Rose (knee) for Saturday lunchtime’s trip to the London Stadium. Pochettino will probably stick with a 3-4-2-1 formation, with Davinson Sanchez continuing in the heart of the backline alongside Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld; Ben Davies is likely to return at left wing-back, meanwhile, with Serge Aurier set to get the nod ahead of Kieran Trippier on the right. A front three of Christian Eriksen, Harry Kane and Dele Alli is among the best in the division, while Mousa Dembele’s combination of strength, tenacity and quick feet will be essential in the centre of the park. Spurs will dominate possession at the London Stadium, but they must do a better job of breaking down their opponents than they managed against Swansea last time out.
West Ham will be unable to call upon the services of James Collins (ankle) and Manuel Lanzini (knee), while Edimilson Fernandes is a slight doubt with an ankle issue. Bilic switched to a 3-4-2-1 formation for the recent victory over Huddersfield and will probably stick with the same shape here, particularly as his side subsequently ground out a 0-0 draw at West Brom while employing the new setup. West Ham will look to utilise Andy Carroll’s aerial prowess with long balls played up to the targetman quickly, while the speed of Michail Antonio will pose a threat on the counter-attack. The hosts will have long spells without the ball on Saturday, which is why they must stay focused and switched-on at all times to avoid giving away any sloppy goals.
Taking everything into account, it is probably worth backing Spurs to eke out a narrow victory. An away win with Kane to score looks like a good option, while a Tottenham triumph and fewer than 3.5 goals to be netted in total is another wager worth considering.
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