Tottenham Hotspur are currently 14th in the Premier League and only have one win in their last five league games. They are not a team in good form and also suffered an FA Cup Third Round exit at home to Aston Villa at the weekend.
Manager, Thomas Frank, is under increasing pressure because it has not been good enough. Spurs had a tough season last year and finished 17th in the table but they did lift the UEFA Europa League trophy. This season fans expected an improvement and wanted to see their team competing higher up the table. There is still a long way to go and there have been some positive signs but in recent weeks they have faded and it is not looking great.
Last time against West Ham United, it was an emphatic 3-0 win for Spurs at the London Stadium. That was a day where everything Spurs did went their way but it has not been smooth sailing since then.
Last week Frank's side lost 3-2 at Bournemouth after a late goal. It was all the more frustrating as Bournemouth were without a league win since the end of October.
The Hammers, however, come into this game in 18th place and seven points from safety. They suffered a 2-1 defeat to relegation rivals Nottingham Forest last week and that result could prove costly in terms of their survival chances.
A chance to kickstart their season?
It could be argued that Spurs need this game to kickstart their season and hopefully start a climb up the table. They have suffered lately and things have not been going their way. At times their performances have looked disjointed and it has been hard to get any form of momentum going.
They may be at the point where results take priority over performances but their displays of late, even in the 1-0 win at Crystal Palace, did not offer enough for supporters to feel like a corner has been turned.
Nuno Espirito Santo's West Ham should not be underestimated because they are a side who should be playing with a point to prove. It is also a London derby so it will be a game with an extra edge to it. However, given the result from earlier in the season, Spurs should come into the game with a degree of confidence.
Their home form in the last year has also been very poor and fans have not had much to cheer about in north London but some fans might believe that West Ham are the ideal opponents to give them a lift.
How much longer will Thomas Frank get?
Thomas Frank has made the step up from Brentford to Spurs and the expectations are inevitably higher at a club like Spurs. It would be fair to say that they are not a club who have experienced too much league success in recent seasons. Therefore, Frank is not the only manager to find life difficult at the helm.
It is to be expected that people would start to question his position after a poor run. The last week has not helped his chances as an early cup exit is always disappointing and the manner of the defeat at Bournemouth was not good. Also, before the game, Frank was pictured holding an Arsenal cup and after the game players were seen in discussions with fans.
He probably does need a good result to buy himself some more time. He will tell the media that it is a project and that he cannot make all the changes he wants to make immediately. However, he has to prove to fans that he is the man for the long term and the one to be backed during the transfer window.
Is Dominic Solanke back fit and ready to fight for his place?
The striker has missed much of the season due to injury, which has been frustrating for the player and the fans, but he made his comeback against Villa in the cup.
Spurs will be hoping that Solanke can start scoring goals again and get his career in white going. They have been light up front at times so will be hoping that he is able to help solve some of their problems.
There are other key players who will be missing
Frank will not wish to use this as an excuse but there are key players in his squad who will be missing due to injury.
Richarlison went off against Villa with a potential hamstring injury and it has been confirmed that Rodrigo Bentancur could be out for a while after he went off injured in the Bournemouth game. Former West Ham player Mohammed Kudus will miss the visit of his old employers as he is also out with an injury.
Lucas Bergvall and Destiny Udogie could be fit for the West Ham game but it is unkown at this stage.
Then, Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison have been out from the start of the season and will not be back anytime soon.
It is the same for every side but Frank would like to have some of these players available as they would be able to make an impact in games.