Graham Potter should feel confident about West Ham United’s chances of beating Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday.
The Hammers will host Tottenham at the London Stadium with the side in positive spirits following a morale-boosting victory against Nottingham Forest before the international break.
TBR Football reported that David Sullivan is backing Graham Potter despite the immense pressure on the manager’s shoulders following the crushing 5-1 loss against Chelsea in August.
Potter has worked hard to overturn his fortunes in East London, although one victory in three matches will not be enough to fend off the critics.
And now the 50-year-old faces the ultimate test at West Ham, but he will undoubtedly be encouraged by an interesting stat surrounding Pedro Porro, which has emerged ahead of the clash.
Pedro Porro has never been involved in a 0-0 draw in the Premier League
According to BBC Sport, Porro has never been involved in a scoreless draw throughout his Tottenham career, which stands as the second-longest streak in Premier League history, only behind former Man United man Mikael Silvestre, whose run lasted 134 games.
Astonishing, considering Porro has featured in 86 league appearances for Spurs, and this news will be music to Potter’s ears.
The Irons rediscovered their goalscoring touch in the 3-0 win against Forest last time out, with new signing Callum Wilson impressing as he opened his account for the club.
In their previous meetings, West Ham and Tottenham have scored at least one goal each in eight of their last 10 encounters, with the last 0-0 draw between the pair occurring during the 2010/11 campaign.
Tensions will be high at the London Stadium. Mohammed Kudus made the £55 million switch to Spurs in July, and the Ghanaian international will be in for a hostile reception upon his return to East London.
Furthermore, Jarrod Bowen has been involved in nine goals in his last nine outings for West Ham, with only Liverpool star Mohamed Salah registering more goal involvements.
The clash is primed to deliver goals on Saturday, and should the Hammers replicate their display against Forest, there is no reason why Potter should not deliver another loss to Thomas Frank.
West Ham must be wary of Pedro Porro threat
Although the statistic surrounding Porro is encouraging, it can also be interpreted as a warning that West Ham will concede at least one goal at the London Stadium.
Porro is the league leader for passes into the opposition box, and the Spaniard has long established himself as one of the biggest threats in this Tottenham side.
West Ham were brutally undone against Chelsea and also conceded three goals against newly promoted Sunderland on the opening day – Potter must tread carefully.
Indeed, confidence will be brimming in East London, and no other fixture is more perfect for kickstarting their season than this particular London derby. There are goals to be scored on Saturday; the question is whether the players can step up.