Following the two-week international break, Tottenham Hotspur return to Premier League action with an away trip to face West Ham on Saturday.
It must have felt like a long two weeks for Spurs fans. The last time they saw their side in Premier League action, it ended in disappointment as Spurs lost 0-1 at home to Bournemouth. That result stung even more given how bright the start to the campaign had been. Spurs opened with a 3-0 win over Burnley before beating Manchester City 2-0 at the Etihad.
Against Bournemouth, though, they never recovered from Evanilson’s early strike. The performance was flat, with Thomas Frank’s side failing to create a single big chance in front of a frustrated home crowd. It was a game to forget, and one that handed Frank his first defeat against Bournemouth, a side he had never lost to during his Brentford tenure.
Across London, things have hardly been good for West Ham. After a 14th-place finish last season, there was hope that Graham Potter could steady the ship, but the start has been rough.
A 3-0 defeat to newly promoted Sunderland on opening day was followed by a 5-1 thrashing at Chelsea. Three days later, Wolves eliminated them from the Carabao Cup with a 3-2 win.
However, West Ham finally gave their fans something to cheer about before the break, beating Nottingham Forest 3-0 at home.
What time does West Ham vs Tottenham Hotspur kick off?
West Ham vs Tottenham Hotspur: Head-to-head record
West Ham have managed just one win in their last seven Premier League meetings with Spurs (D3 L3), a 2-1 victory away from home in December 2023.
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Each of the previous three league clashes between the sides at the London Stadium finished 1-1. In fact, Spurs are winless in their last five league visits to East London (D3 L2) since a 3-2 win back in November 2019.
When these two met last season, it finished 1-1. Before that, Spurs thrashed West Ham 4-1 in a fiery encounter that saw Mohammed Kudus sent off after clashing with almost half the Tottenham squad. Ange Postecoglou was still in charge then, but Frank boasts a decent record against the Hammers from his Brentford days, winning six of his 11 meetings.
Tottenham team news
There are two fresh faces available for Spurs following the Bournemouth defeat. Thomas Frank finally has a number 10 in Xavi Simons, while deadline day brought striker Randal Kolo Muani on loan from PSG. Both have trained with the squad and are in contention.
Injury-wise, not much has changed. James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski and Radu Dragusin remain long-term absentees. Dominic Solanke, Yves Bissouma and Kota Takai are doubtful, but their availability will only become clearer once Frank addresses the press on Friday.
West Ham team news
Graham Potter confirmed that Niclas Fullkrug will be assessed after he picked up a knock during international duty. While the German has trained lightly, it seems more likely that Callum Wilson will lead the line. Luis Guilherme remains sidelined, and 21-year-old George Earthy is also a doubt.
Predicted Tottenham line-up
Vicario; Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Spence; Bentancur, Simons, Sarr; Kudus, Richarlison, Johnson.
Destiny Udogie returned from injury against Bournemouth, but Djed Spence’s form means the Italian may have to settle for a place on the bench. If Udogie does feature, it could be as a replacement for either Porro or Spence.
In midfield, Xavi Simons is the player everyone wants to see. Frank may play him in his natural number 10 role, giving Spurs the creativity they lacked against Bournemouth. That would mean Rodrigo Bentancur and Pape Matar Sarr providing the balance behind him.
However, there is a chance Frank could keep faith in his tried and tested trio of Rodrigo Bentancur, Joao Palhinha and Pape Matar Sarr. Palhinha, though, was particularly poor last time out, and with his limited involvement during the international break for Portugal, we have opted to leave him out here.
If Frank does decide to stick with his midfield three, then expect Simons to feature out wide, in place of Brennan Johnson. The Welshman had a disappointing afternoon against Bournemouth and then struggled during international duty, being benched for one match and failing to impress in the other. Frank may be reluctant to fully drop him, as he would rather let Simons fill in the number 10 role.
Up front, the man in form, Richarlison, will likely continue to lead the line despite competition from new signing Randal Kolo Muani, who is set to make his debut off the bench.
Our prediction
Thomas Frank and his players know they let the fans down against Bournemouth, and that disappointment will give them the extra push to prove it was not a true reflection of the team as they look to put things right for Tottenham.
Mohammed Kudus will be the man to help Spurs do that, as he faces his former side. Following the criticism surrounding his move, he will be hungry to silence the West Ham fans.
Xavi Simons is obviously another man to watch out for. Seen as the answer to Spurs’ creativity problems, the La Masia graduate will want to leave an impression on his Premier League debut.
Despite the stats suggesting a likely draw for the fourth consecutive time at the London Stadium, we expect Thomas Frank’s men to get the job done with plenty to spare.