To be clear, Tottenham Hotspur is never excited to see West Ham United, a constant thorn of a derby that is far from the club’s most important. However, there is some good irony this weekend as the sides meet; after mocking West Ham for years about this fixture being its cup final, Spurs are now focused on reaching a legitimate final of their own.
As a result, this contest between the 16th and 17th-placed Premier League sides has even less meaning than it would normally feature. Ange Postecoglou’s group is preoccupied with Thursday’s trip to Bodo, and while the home team would surely like to take this one, it is for bragging rights only. A loss would be annoying, but it is hardly worth the attention.
West Ham United (17th, 36pts) vs. Tottenham Hotspur (16th, 37pts)
Date: Sunday, May 4
Time: 9:00 am ET, 2:00 pm UK
Location: London Stadium, London
TV: Peacock (US)
West Ham escaped relegation but is having its worst season since going down nearly 15 years ago. Both ends of the pitch have been pretty bad, but not as bad as the bottom three, making this a forgettable campaign but not one that ends in disaster. The Hammers have alternated losses and draws since the start of March, making this Sunday set for shared points — an outcome that would surprise no one.
The reverse fixture was a strong outing for Spurs, winning 4-1 despite going down inside the first 20 minutes. Dejan Kulusevski leveled the match by halftime, while Yves Bissouma and Heung-Min Son bookended a West Ham own goal which boosted Tottenham ahead by three goals across an eight-minute span early in the second half.
Weekly spotlight: The select few
I have begged for heavily rotated lineups in the Premier League for quite some time, and this Sunday seems like as sure of a bet as any given the narrow lead to protect in Norway. Postecoglou will rest anyone on the fence health-wise, but there could be a few names who will double dip domestically and in the Europa League.
At the top of the list has to be Bissouma, who was simply excellent in the first leg against Glimt. It has been a rocky season (and Spurs tenure) for the midfielder, but another strong outing could earn him a second-leg start as well. Richarlison also made a convincing argument for more minutes after Postecoglou surprisingly selected him next to Dominic Solanke. The Brazilian is likely to drift back to the No. 9 this weekend, but any contributions he makes will be noticed.
Finally, one player I am definitely curious to see more of is Kevin Danso. He has made just 10 appearances for Spurs, but is someone who could end up with a bunch more playing time in the near future. While hopefully he is not needed for the rest of the Europa League, he could be a late substitute to see out the lead in Bodo — or to replace a sent-off Cristian Romero or an injured Micky van de Ven — so some good minutes this weekend would not hurt.