Football London

Tottenham remain 16th in the Premier League table after playing out a 1-1 draw with West Ham on Sunday afternoon. It was all change for Spurs going into the London derby as Ange Postecoglou made a total of eight alterations with Thursday's Bodo/Glimt Europa League semi-final in mind.

Wilson Odobert, who was one of the eight players to come in, opened the scoring on 15 minutes from close range after benefitting from some excellent play from Mathys Tel to win the ball and pick out his teammate. The Hammers were to level things up on 28 minutes as Jarrod Bowen made a smart run into the penalty box before squeezing the ball between Guglielmo Vicario's legs at his near post.

Spurs did have a good opening to retake the lead shortly before half-time but Richarlison elected to try and square the ball to Odobert instead of shooting after some fine play from Tel. Tel had a chance for himself shortly after the restart but he could only shoot straight at Alphonse Areola after linking up well with Pape Matar Sarr.

Guglielmo Vicario was then needed in the closing stages as he stopped Bowen netting a winner with a flicked header from James Ward-Prowse's free-kick. Here are five things we spotted in the game at the London Stadium:

Taking no chances

Postecoglou was certainly taking no chances with his first-choice Tottenham players ahead of Thursday's Europa League semi-final second leg tie away at Bodo/Glimt. Fresh from the 3-1 win over the Norwegian side three days ago, the head coach made eight changes to his XI as only Vicario, Yves Bissouma and Richarlison remained from the other night.

That meant he rested his back four of Pedro Porro, Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven and Destiny Udogie, with Rodrigo Bentancur and Brennan Johnson also dropping down to the bench. James Maddison and Dominic Solanke were the other two from the midweek victory to miss out, although their absence across the capital was due to injury.

Postecoglou admitted on Friday that Solanke was "not too bad" following his substitution during the game and that "we don't think it's anything too serious". Maddison, on the other hand, was "more of a concern" and that they were waiting for the outcome of a scan on a knee issue.

As expected, Postecoglou didn't take any unnecessary risks with the duo and they will be wrapped up in cotton wool over the next few days until the decisive second leg in Norway.

Where's Timo?

As a result of Maddison and Solanke's absence, Tottenham youngster Damola Ajayi was named in a Premier League squad for the first time since Brentford away at the beginning of February. The 19-year-old came to the attention of everyone in January following his debut goal against Elfsborg in the Europa League but he has failed to feature for Postecoglou's side since then.

Ajayi was named on the bench ahead of fellow youngster Dane Scarlett and also Timo Werner. The German's season-long loan spell has not gone to plan at all and he has only featured once since returning from injury in February.

Werner, who was cut from Tottenham's Europa League squad before the knockout phase, has not even made a matchday squad since his cameo appearance against Manchester City and there's a strong chance he won't be involved for Tottenham again. It really is a sad way to end his time at the club.

Gray change

One week on from his midfield role in the 5-1 defeat at Liverpool, Archie Gray was once again named in the Tottenham XI by Postecoglou. This time, however, he wasn't in midfield amid his struggles at Anfield.

Instead, he reverted to right-back after taking the place of Porro in the back four. He certainly looked more at home in the position, although last weekend's opponents need to be taken into consideration, but that is perhaps no surprise given the amount of Premier League football he has played in defence compared to midfield.

Tottenham fans want to see more of Gray in midfield and that will undoubtedly come in time. For now, he may have to contend with a defensive position until he is given a consistent run in the middle of the park.

Tel time

Tel certainly made a case for a starting spot in Thursday's Europa League semi-final against Bodo/Glimt. The Frenchman was perhaps unlucky not to start in the first meeting between the sides but he did come on at half-time in place of Richarlison.

Operating from the left flank once again, the loanee had a big say on the game 15 minutes in as Spurs took the lead in east London. His hard work to put Max Kilman under pressure saw him win possession of the ball and he duly put it across the penalty box for fellow countryman Odobert to finish off.

Goals and assists may not have flowed as much as Tel would have like since joining from Bayern Munich but what has been noticeable is his work rate and desire to make an impact. That was evident midway through the first half as he forced Aaron Wan-Bissaka out of play following some excellent tracking back after the full-back had got the better of Djed Spence.

Postecoglou certainly appreciated the piece of play from Tel and gave him a round of applause from the sidelines for his efforts.

Moore returns

Plenty of Tottenham fans have questioned Mikey Moore's lack of minutes in recent weeks. The teenager has been a regular on the bench in the Europa League but he has found himself in and out of the Premier League squad with virtually all of Postecoglou's attacking options available.

Last taking to the pitch for the first team in the FA Cup defeat away at Aston Villa in early February, the lesser-spotted Moore was finally involved in a first-team match again as he entered the fray midway through the second half at West Ham. After his previous appearance almost three months ago, the academy ace was keen to make an immediate impact and he helped draw a foul from Lucas Paqueta that resulted in a yellow card not long after his introduction.

Hopefully more minutes will come his way in the run-in.

Tottenham Hotspur drew 1-1 at West Ham United on Sunday afternoon in the Premier League and here are our Spurs player ratings.

With Spurs looking towards the second leg of their Europa League semi-final against Bodo/Glimt on Thursday in Norway, Ange Postecoglou made eight changes from the side that won 3-1 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in midweek. Dominic Solanke and James Maddison missed out with Djed Spence, Archie Gray, Kevin Danso, Ben Davies, Pape Matar Sarr, Dejan Kulusevski, Mathys Tel played a half each on Thursday night so start up front, with Wilson Odobert alongside them.

Wilson Odobert scored for the changed up Spurs team within 15 minutes. Poor defending from Max Kilman saw him hit the ball against Tel and the Frenchman fired it across the box for Odobert, who took a touch and slid the ball home.

Just before the half-hour mark, Tottenham offered up some woeful defending over their own as Jarrod Bowen was able to waltz down the right of their box, between Spence and Davies, and saunter inside before nutmegging Guglielmo Vicario.

Spurs had more chances in the second half than their hosts, although Vicario had to make a late diving save to keep out Bowen's glancing header as the match petered to its conclusion.

Here are our Tottenham player ratings after the stalemate in Stratford.

Guglielmo Vicario

Allowed himself to be nutmegged at his near post by Bowen. Didn't have anything to do after that until the final 10 minutes when he made an excellent save from Bowen's glancing header from a bouncing free-kick. 5

Archie Gray

A solid enough showing at right-back. Didn't do much wrong while not particularly shining either but more Premier League experience for the teenager. 6

Kevin Danso

Some poor passing at times but defensively dealt with most of what came his way. 6

Ben Davies

Picked up an early yellow card and was far too slow to react to Bowen running in front of him. Wasn't bad after that point but it was a costly moment. 5

Djed Spence

Out of position for West Ham's equaliser on the half hour mark. Was better going forward than he was in his defending. Found Richarlison for a half-chance soon after at the other end of the pitch. Hasn't found his form again in recent games since Udogie returned. 6

Pape Matar Sarr

Had a quiet first half but put Tel through with a good ball early in the second period. Fired just over the crossbar from outside the box with 10 minutes to go. Was more of a force in the second half. 7

Yves Bissouma

Couldn't match his performance against Bodo but he was solid enough and got a much-needed 90 minute shift into his legs. 7

Dejan Kulusevski

Still not sharp yet but he needed minutes like this to get him tuned up for Thursday. 6

Wilson Odobert

Showed composure with his control and finish for Spurs' early goal. Showed little glimpses after that but not enough to really impact the game beyond that early goal. 6

Richarlison

Battled away in the lone striker role and fired over from Spence's low cross after the half hour. Made a good run on to Tel's pass but hit the ball across the face of goal to no one. Fired over before the hour mark from Kulusevski's knock-down. Took the knocks for Spurs with little reward. 6

Mathys Tel

Pressed Kilman up the pitch and then played the ball to Odobert for the early assist. Then played a lovely little ball to Richarlison which should have brought another goal. Should have done better when put through by Sarr early in the second half. Switched up front for the final 20 minutes. Overall he was probably Spurs' best player on the day. 7

Subs

Mikey Moore

Spurs' only substitution on the day and he had a positive cameo with a few purposeful runs. 6

Ange Postecoglou has been true to his word and has heavily rotated his Tottenham Hotspur starting line-up to face West Ham United on Sunday afternoon in the Premier League.

Spurs' main focus is on the second leg of their Europa League semi-final against Bodo/Glimt on Thursday in Norway and Postecoglou had said that he would make plenty of changes from the side that won 3-1 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Thursday.

He has gone for a complete change of the back four with Djed Spence, Archie Gray, Kevin Danso and Ben Davies all coming in and in the midfield Pape Matar Sarr and Dejan Kulusevski did not start in the first leg against Bodo so do so this weekend. The Spurs boss has decided to give Yves Bissouma another start to improve his sharpness.

Richarlison and Tel played a half each on Thursday night so start up front, with Wilson Odobert alongside them.

Mikey Moore and Damola Ajayi are on the bench with players like Son Heung-min, Lucas Bergvall, Dominic Solanke and James Maddison all missing the match.

Here's the Tottenham team Postecoglou has selected for the derby against the Hammers:

Vicario; Gray, Danso, Davies, Spence; Sarr, Bissouma, Kulusevski; Odobert, Richarlison, Tel. Subs: Kinsky, Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Udogie, Bentancur, Johnson, Ajayi, Moore.

West Ham United and Tottenham go head-to-head on Sunday afternoon, as both sides look to improve their miserable Premier League form.

The Hammers have endured a torrid campaign. They are safe from relegation but sit 17th having won just nine, drawn nine and lost 16 of their 34 top-flight matches this season.

Graham Potter's arrival looked to have engineered some much-needed hope among the West Ham faithful, but even he has struggled to turn the tide. Despite a bright start, the Hammers have not won since February - a 2-0 success against Leicester City - drawing three and losing four of their last seven games.

As for Spurs, there is no doubt their main focus is on the Europa League. They sit 16th in the Premier League, one point above West Ham, and have got nothing but pride and a couple of places to play for. Tottenham have lost 19 top-flight matches this term - only the bottom three have more.

However, Ange Postecoglou's men could still end the season with Champions League football. If they win the Europa League, they will qualify for Europe's elite club competition. Spurs are currently 3-1 ahead against Bodo/Glimt in the semi-final, and travel to Norway for the second leg on Thursday.

Spurs will surely rotate heavily ahead of the tricky trip to Bodo, which could give West Ham the perfect opportunity to record their first win in this fixture in four years.

When is West Ham vs Tottenham?

West Ham's clash with Tottenham is scheduled to kick-off at 2pm on Sunday, May 4. The match will take place at the London Stadium in east London.

The last time the two teams met was at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium back in October. Although Mohammed Kudus gave West Ham the lead, Spurs roared back to win 4-1 thanks to goals from Dejan Kulusevski, Yves Bissouma and Heung min-Son, with Alphonse Areola's own-goal adding gloss to the scoreline.

Where to watch West Ham vs Tottenham?

In the UK, the game will not be televised live. The Sky Sports app and YouTube channel will show highlights shortly after full-time, with BBC's Match of the Day 2 showing highlights at 10:30pm.

However, if you are a viewer outside of the UK, you can watch the game live, as it's being shown across the world by the Premier League's international broadcast partners. For example, in the United States, you can live stream the game with Peacock. As for Australia, you can watch the game on Optus Sports.

You cannot watch West Ham's game against Tottenham in the UK because it wasn't selected for television coverage. Instead, Newcastle's trip to Brighton and Chelsea's clash with Liverpool has been chosen.

Team news

Evan Ferguson is available for West Ham again after he was ineligible to face parent club Brighton last time out. Elsewhere, Edson Alvarez is set to be assessed ahead of the game. Crysencio Summerville, meanwhile, has undergone surgery on a thigh problem and is not expected to return before the end of the season.

Tottenham are anticipated to make a number of changes with Thursday's second leg against Bodo in mind. Lucas Bergvall, however, is set to miss the rest of the season, while James Maddison and Dominic Solanke are doubts after limping off against Bodo. Heung min-Son will also miss out.

Hello and welcome to football.london's live coverage of West Ham vs Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League as both teams look to edge away from the basement of the table.

While a derby is on the menu at the London Stadium between two sides that have struggled in the league this season which would normally the be-all and end-all for both teams, Spurs have one eye on the second leg of their Europa League semi-final against Bodo/Glimt on Thursday in Norway and Ange Postecoglou has said that he will need to make plenty of changes with that in mind.

That means plenty of different faces will be in action looking to make an impression and try to earn themselves a place in the Australian's starting line-up in Bodo in midweek for the huge semi-final clash. There is also plenty of pride at stake in this London clash between two sides who have made a mess of their Premier League seasons despite the odd promising moment.

Our Tottenham correspondent Alasdair Gold is at the London Stadium and you can follow his live updates from the Premier League derby below and he will then be at the post-match press conferences at Stratford.

Tottenham take on London rivals West Ham United in the Premier League later today, where a loss for Ange Postecoglou's side would see them drop to 17th in the league table.

It's obvious that Spurs' focus is no longer on the Premier League, and rightly so, with Postecoglou's side one game away from reaching the Europa League final. A 3-1 win at home to Bodo/Glimt means the Lilywhites head into the semi-final second leg clash next week with a two-goal aggregate lead, and it's likely that Postecoglou will rotate his side this weekend to ensure there are no fitness issues ahead of their trip to the Arctic Circle.

Spurs have lost three Premier League games in a row, most recently a 5-1 defeat against Liverpool that saw the Reds crowned as Premier League champions. But, West Ham are one of the few teams doing worse than Spurs, with the Irons winless in the league since February.

A win for West Ham would see them leapfrog Spurs into 16th place, and recent history is on their side, with Spurs winless at the London Stadium in their last four visits. So, can Spurs earn bragging rights and pick up three points against their London rivals this weekend? Let's take a look.

West Ham vs Tottenham Premier League score predicted

To complete this simulation, we used EA FC 25 and updated the squads with the latest injuries and suspensions.

We predict that West Ham could line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with their starting XI as follows: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Gravenberch, Mac Allister; Salah, Szoboszlai, Diaz; Jota.

We predict that Spurs could set up in a 4-3-3 formation, with their line-up as follows: Vicario; Porro, Danso, Davies, Spence; Sarr, Gray, Kulusevski; Odobert, Richarlison, Tel.

A positive opening 20 minutes saw Spurs create a handful of chances in east London, with Postecoglou's side pinning West Ham in their own half as they looked for an opener. Richarlison had a glorious chance to send Spurs ahead in the 23rd minute when he met Mathys Tel's cross with a diving header at the back post, but the Brazilian could only direct his effort onto the post.

The pressure continued from the visitors, and with their 14th shot of the half, the Lilywhites finally pulled ahead.

Richarlison's shot on the edge of the box was blocked into the path of Wilson Odobert, and the winger used his body to hold off the defender before turning onto his left. Odobert skipped past Tomas Soucek before taking aim, and he arrowed his shot into the bottom corner with power to make it 1-0.

With the lead, Spurs seemed to get a little complacent in the second half, and as the game went on, a few chances started falling West Ham's way. Suddenly, it was the hosts who were in control, and they managed to level the score in the 76th minute when Jarrod Bowen tapped home a rebound from close range after Guglielmo Vicario saved Lucas Paqueta's long-range effort.

Spurs were unable to find a winner in the closing stages as their winless run in the Premier League extended.

EA FC 25 predicted final score: West Ham 1-1 Tottenham

What do you think the final score will be? Let us know in the comments!

Ange Postecoglou is set to heavily rotate his Tottenham Hotspur side to face West Ham United on Sunday afternoon in the Premier League.

While a derby awaits at the London Stadium between two sides that have struggled in the league this season, Spurs' clear priority is the second leg of their Europa League semi-final against Bodo/Glimt on Thursday in Norway and the Australian has already said that he will need to make plenty of changes with that in mind.

Postecoglou could decide on a complete change of the back four with players like Djed Spence, Archie Gray, Kevin Danso and Ben Davies all looking for minutes. In the midfield Pape Matar Sarr needs game time while Dejan Kulusevski did not start in the first leg against Bodo so could do so this weekend.

The Spurs boss will likely need to make a decision between playing Yves Bissouma or Rodrigo Bentancur with both potential starters in midweek after impressing in the first leg.

Richarlison and Tel played a half each on Thursday night so could start up front, while Wilson Odobert needs minutes and the Tottenham fans will also be hoping to see Mikey Moore finally getting minutes.

Here's the Tottenham team we reckon Postecoglou will select for the derby against the Hammers.

Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand has weighed in on the importance of Europa League success for his former club or Tottenham after lacklustre seasons. Ferdinand reckons securing the European trophy could be pivotal for United - who are now widely-expected to reach the final after their dominant 3-0 win over Athletic Bilbao on Thursday night.

Casemiro netted the opening goal for them, while Bruno Fernandes scored twice to put his team in a strong position for the return leg at Old Trafford.

With Tottenham also in contention - after their 3-1 win over Bodo/Glimt - there's a possibility of an all-English showpiece in Bilbao come May 21.

Both clubs have been starved of success and they've had seasons to forget in the Premier League, where United find themselves in 15th place with 39 points, while Spurs trail just behind in 16th.

Ferdinand sees the potential trophy as a significant boost for either side, telling TNT Sports: "When you get your hands on a trophy, I think that catapults you, I think further up in terms of who's been successful and who hasn't.

"I think for United especially, finishing where they're going to finish and winning a trophy, that doesn't paper over the cracks enough.

"They know there's a lot of work to be done, but I think Spurs will be the same.

"Spurs, especially, winning a trophy, they've been so long without one, it will be a huge thing.

"Both clubs will be looking to do that and, when you win a trophy, it doesn't matter what it is.

"I played at a club that was always looking to win every trophy we've played in, even in years where we didn't win the league, or win the Champions League, you'd cling on to an FA Cup or a Carling Cup at the time - you'd cling on to that.

"I think trophies are great for confidence and they also [have] interest when you go into recruitment."

All Harry Kane could do was watch on. Suspended and therefore unable to make an impact, he was helpless as Bayern Munich threw away a Bundesliga title success during stoppage time on Saturday.

After achieving the incredible feat of becoming Tottenham's record goalscorer with 280 strikes over nine years as a regular, Kane made the complicated decision to leave with one desire in mind.

Serial Bundesliga winners Bayern would theoretically hand him the greater opportunity to win silverware that had evaded him throughout his time in England, with Spurs receiving a £100 million fee for the loss of their talisman and captain.

Approaching the end of a second year in Germany, on Saturday Kane's career-long for a trophy wait had the chance to be brought to an end.

It was just so unlucky that for picking up his fifth yellow card of the season playing Mainz last week, the 31-year-old was suspended for the Bundesliga title-decider at the Red Bull Arena.

Regardless, he travelled to Saxony to cheer on manager Vincent Kompany and his teammates from the stands. Kane's face was expressionless as the hosts cruised to a first-half two-goal advantage.

Fighting back after the break, goals from fellow former Spurs man Eric Dier, ex-Crystal Palace star Michael Olise and ex-Man City attacker Leroy Sane put Bayern on the brink of the title with seven minutes to play.

But then arrived Yussuf Poulsen, fresh from the bench for Leipzig, and after the ball broke kindly he chipped Bayern goalkeeper Jonas Urbig to level up at 3-3 with five minutes of stoppage time played.

Kane, who had come down to the touchline expecting to charge the field in celebration, instead stood still and silent in disbelief.

As the curtain came down on the thriller, the former Spurs man joined his disheartened teammates as they made their way to the travelling Bayern fans to show appreciation.

Even if Kane is to wait for his first-ever trophy, he can at least fall back on the fact it is still entirely in Bayern's hands.

They sit nine points ahead of Leverkusen with an advantage of 30 on goal difference.

Xabi Alonso's side must follow by playing their third-from-last game of the season tomorrow against SC Freiburg. They cannot afford to drop points, otherwise the race is over.

The initiative would then go back to Bayern who play again next Saturday and will have the chance to win in front of their own supporters at the Allianz Arena when hosting Borussia Monchengladbach, and Kane will be allowed to play.

Graham Potter has admitted he hopes Tottenham reach the Europa League final.

West Ham welcome Spurs to the London Stadium on Sunday, with the clash sandwiched between the Lilywhites' Europa League semi-final against FK Bodo/Glimt. Tottenham already have one foot in the final after winning the first leg 3-1, although Ange Postecoglou will be keen to get the job done properly next Thursday.

Before the second leg, though, Tottenham face West Ham in the Premier League. The Hammers are currently 17th in the table while Spurs are 16th and Potter believes it is important his side pick up all three points against their London rivals.

“Spurs have had a tough season in the Premier League, because of injuries and other reasons. That just shows that in this league, nothing’s forgiven,” said Potter.

“But, they’ve done well in Europe, and hopefully they can get the job done and get to the final. This is the most important game for us, because it’s the next game. And then you add on the fact it’s a London derby, and the added importance for our supporters.

“I feel for our supporters because they’ve had a tough year. That’s the reality. They’re frustrated, understandably so, and we want to try and give them something back.”

Postecoglou will likely field a much changed side against the Hammers, although will be without Lucas Bergvall who is set to miss the remainder of the season with an ankle injury. Bergvall sustained the issue in training on Wednesday and Ange Postecoglou does not expect the 19-year-old to play again in the 2024-25 campaign.

Postecoglou also expressed concern over James Maddison’s condition after a knee injury forced him off in Spurs’ 3-1 victory over Bodo/Glimt. “Lucas looks like the injury is significant enough to keep him out for the rest of the season,” Postecoglou explained.

“He was on his own, went to turn and his ankle gave way. Dom (Solanke) is not too bad, still sore from last night but nothing too serious. A doubt for the weekend. Madders a bit more of a concern because it’s the knee. We’ve sent him for a scan.”