Mauricio Pochettino's men remain four points adrift of the summit of the standings following their 2-0 defeat of north London neighbours Arsenal last time out. It was a comfortable afternoon for Spurs, who demonstrated excellent resilience and character to respond after Chelsea's 3-0 win at Everton earlier that day. Tottenham have a tougher run-in than Antonio Conte's side and will find it difficult to overhaul them at the top, but Pochettino and his players deserve immense credit for another extremely impressive campaign, which looks set to end with a runners-up finish at the very least.
West Ham were held to a goalless stalemate by Stoke City when they last took to the field, with Slaven Bilic's charges having now drawn three games in a row in the Premier League. Although there is not really anything tangible for the Hammers to play for in the closing weeks, there is a feeling that their season could still go either way: a top-half finish is still attainable, with West Ham just a couple of points adrift of Bournemouth in 10th, but they are also just a single point above 16th-placed Crystal Palace. The relocation from Upton Park to the London Stadium has made this a difficult year for the club, but they will be determined to finish strongly and end 2016/17 on a high.
Tottenham will be unable to call upon the services of Danny Rose (knee), Harry Winks (ankle) and long-term absentee Erik Lamela (hip). Pochettino has alternated between a back three and a back four throughout this season and may opt for the former here, particularly as central midfielder Mousa Dembele is now fit enough to return to the starting XI. Further forward, Harry Kane will be supported by Dele Alli and Christian Eriksen, with Son Heung-min the likeliest of the front four to make way.
West Ham, meanwhile, will have to make do without Aaron Masuaku (knock), Diafra Sakho (back), Michail Antonio (hamstring), Gokhan Tore (knee), Pedro Obiang (ankle) and Angelo Ogbonna (knee), but Andy Carroll could return after a groin issue. Bilic has also switched between a three- and four-man defence throughout this season but will probably be tempted by the added security of a 3-4-2-1 against Spurs, with Jose Fonte, Winston Reid and James Collins set to be stationed in the backline.
Taking everything into account, it is difficult to look past a 10th consecutive Premier League win for Tottenham against their London rivals. Spurs are in red-hot form at present and will almost certainly have too much attacking firepower for Bilic's men, while they are also defensively solid and resolute at the other end of the pitch. An away win to nil is therefore my tip for the Friday night encounter, with Eriksen a good option to open the scoring at the London Stadium.
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