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Tottenham defender Micky van de Ven said his side are determined to end their trophy drought and achieve "beautiful things" at the club.

Spurs face Dutch side AZ Alkmaar on Thursday in the Europa League at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Ange Postecoglou's side could make it three wins from three in the competition this season as they go for a first piece of silverware since 2008.

"Of course we want to win a trophy," Van de Ven, 23, said. "That is something we all want and we are working towards every day."

Earlier this season Postecoglou said he "always wins things" in his second year in charge.

Postecoglou won the Australian title with both South Melbourne and Brisbane Roar, and the Japanese league with Yokohama F Marinos - all in his second season or second full season in charge.

"I think even if the gaffer didn't say this, we still had the same belief as a group," said Van de Ven, who spent time in the AZ Alkmaar academy.

"We all trust in the process and the system that the gaffer wants to play. We all trust in each other and we know we can achieve some beautiful things. Hopefully we can win a prize - that's a big thing for us."

Tottenham's last trophy was the 2008 League Cup - the only competition they have won in the 21st Century.

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Tottenham have only won more Premier League games against Everton (31) and Manchester City (28) than they have vs West Ham (26).

West Ham came from behind to win this exact fixture 2-1 last season – they’ve not won consecutive league visits to Spurs since doing so in April/November 1966.

This will be the eighth time Tottenham and West Ham have faced each other in the first Premier League matchday back after an international break, with Spurs so far unbeaten in the previous seven (W4 D3).

Tottenham have lost four of their last six Premier League London derbies (W1 D1), as many as they had in their previous 16 (W9 D3). They did beat Brentford 3-1 in their last such match, however.

West Ham are unbeaten in their last three Premier League away London derbies (W1 D2), with those accounting for all three of their away games so far this season. They last had a longer such run without defeat between January and December 1999 (6).

West Ham beat Ipswich 4-1 in their last Premier League match – they’ve not won consecutive league games since March.

Brennan Johnson has scored in each of his last six games in all competitions for Tottenham, with his six goals in these games more than he’d netted in his first 38 appearances for the club (5).

Including crosses, no player has played more passes into the opposition box in the Premier League this season than Tottenham’s James Maddison (64). Maddison’s next goal will be his 50th in the competition, with the midfielder netting in two of his last three league games.

West Ham’s Michail Antonio has scored more Premier League goals against Tottenham than he has vs any other opponent (6). Five of his six goals against them have been the opening goal of the match, with only Ryan Giggs (6) netting the opener more often against Spurs in Premier League history.

Captain Jarrod Bowen has been involved in 34 shots this season (15 shots, 19 chances created), more than any other West Ham player. Indeed, last time out against Ipswich he became the first Hammers player to have 5+ shots and create 5+ chances in a single Premier League match since Michail Antonio against Arsenal in March 2021.

Tottenham have announced that defender Djed Spence has signed a new contract which will run until 2028.

Spence, 24, joined Spurs for an initial £12.5m from Middlesbrough in 2022 but has struggled to break into the first team and has made just 10 appearances for the club.

The former England Under-21 international has had loan spells at Leeds, Rennes and Genoa in recent seasons but has featured four times under Ange Postecoglou so far this campaign.

Spence scored his first Tottenham goal in September's 2-1 Carabao Cup first round win at Coventry.

What do you make of the news, Spurs fans?

And where does Spence fit into Postecoglou's plans going forward?

It is both a blessing and a curse that Tottenham face West Ham this weekend.

After their abject second half at Brighton, Spurs fans have spent the international break grinding their teeth in frustration, despite a decent run of form that preceded the game at Amex Stadium.

They will return to action against a Hammers side whose recent fortunes have been the reverse of Spurs' - their wretched run of form ending just before the two-week hiatus with a relatively comfortable dismantling of newly promoted Ipswich.

This is just one of the issues that surrounds Saturday lunchtime's game: just who exactly is in the better form?

Games against West Ham - just like against Arsenal and against Chelsea - are one of a set Tottenham must negotiate each year that are full blooded, unpredictable and difficult to move on from if you lose.

It is quite unfortunate that Ange Postecoglou's side have six vital, hotly contested fixtures like this to deal with on an annual basis. Most teams really only need to deal with bitter local rivals twice a season.

It is therefore an occupational hazard for these Spurs players. Whether they like it or not, high-pressure, high-expectation matches will keep coming.

West Ham fans enjoy nothing more than beating Spurs - especially away from home - and their fans will demand more from their players this weekend than at any stage this season so far.

So even though it will be a huge challenge, Tottenham fans and players know how rewarding success would be.

That second half against Brighton would suddenly look like a pretty insignificant blip.

Elisabeth Terland scored her first two goals in Manchester United colours to help them cruise to a 3-0 win over Tottenham in the Women's Super League.

Terland, who joined United from Brighton in July, slammed in a cross from former Spurs forward Celin Bizet off the underside of the crossbar for the opener at Leigh Sports Village.

The Norwegian pair linked up again a minute later to give United a healthy lead just before the break, with Terland heading home Bizet's whipped ball to the back post.

Captain Maya Le Tissier completed the scoring when she slotted in from the penalty spot after Ashleigh Neville was adjudged to have handled the ball in the box.

Terland was denied a hat-trick when her low strike was tipped onto the post by Becky Spencer, but she left the pitch to a warm standing ovation when she was replaced by Rachel Williams after 76 minutes.

The result ensures Marc Skinner's side maintains their 100% record in the WSL with three wins from three this season.

Despite a comfortable scoreline for the hosts, it was Spurs who made the brighter start with Martha Thomas forcing an early save by Phallon Tullis-Joyce.

Clare Hunt and Bethany England saw efforts drift just wide, while Drew Spence saw her rifled strike from the edge of the area tipped over by Tullis-Joyce.

However, Spurs were left playing catch-up thanks to Terland's double and the visitors' chances were limited in the second half.

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LISTEN: The Monday Night Club

Is anyone else relieved James Maddison has not been selected for the England squad?

I’m thrilled for Dominic Solanke – it is great to see his hard work rewarded. Although unlikely to feature much in the games, it is a useful confidence boost to be recognised in this way, and a good opportunity to train with a different set of elite professionals.

But Madders? We will keep him wrapped in cotton wool thank you very much. After a blistering start to his Spurs career last season, Maddison struggled following the injury he sustained against Chelsea. In fact, last season followed a familiar pattern for the midfielder: a strong start followed by an injury, resulting in an ultimately unsuccessful attempt to regain his form before the summer break.

Clearly he was devastated not to be included in the England squad for Euro 2024, but it gave him the perfect opportunity to rest, train and return to the Premier League in optimum condition. So I was expecting big things this season. Captivating creativity. An abundance of assists. Glorious goals.

So far he has two assists and two goals in the Premier League, and one assist in the Europa League. Not exactly electrifying, but pretty decent statistics nonetheless.

In addition, his overall play has improved – particularly his movement off the ball. He is starting to play with that swagger again, and confidence is everything with playmakers like Maddison.

It also helps when he has a point to prove as his play becomes more purposeful and unrelenting – something that was evident in his first half performance against Brighton. The less said about anyone’s performance in the second half of that game, the better.

Selfishly, I hope missing out on a spot in the England squad will help Maddison have a better season for Spurs.