Hammers News

Callum Wilson scored with a quarter of his touches during West Ham United’s stunning 2-1 London derby triumph over Tottenham Hotspur on a statement Saturday afternoon in the capital.

Four touches of the football, around ten minutes on the pitch, two shots, and one potentially season-saving, point-blank range tap-in.

Much of the talk at West Ham United this January has been about Nuno Espirito Santo’s shiny new strikers; Taty Castellanos and Pablo Felipe started together for the first time in claret and blue at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Late drama 😍😍 Give us your three-word review to West Ham’s win over Spurs!

Wilson, though, would step off the bench to prove that there is still room in the Hammers toy box for something, well, more analogue.

A 93rd goal of his long Premier League career. And this could yet be one of the most impactful. Wilson avoided the dreaded VAR as he pounced on a Guglielmo Vicario flap.

Suddenly, suggestions that West Ham could terminate Wilson’s contract feel like one of those ‘seconds from disaster’ stories.

Castellanos and Pablo have both made a positive early impression. Crysencio Summerville is back on the Premier League scoresheet for the first time since October 2024. But, even if you spend £44 million in search of it, there is no substitute for instinct and experience.

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Callum Wilson reflects on West Ham United’s dramatic Tottenham triumph

Wilson now has five goals in just eight league starts as a West Ham player. One every 162 minutes on average, per WhoScored.

“You get put on to do a job, no matter if that’s five minutes or 50,” Wilson told reporters as he moved to within seven of century in England’s top flight, via BBC Sport. “Throughout my career I’ve always tried to be professional, and I did that today.”

“It was checked and cleared. Harmless really! Sometimes goalkeepers get too much love and you can’t touch them, but the other way round they can shove you. It’s a contact sport.

“Any club winning games is important, whether it’s the cup, or even just in small-sided games in training. Then it extends onto the field. Getting back-to-back games is something to build on.”

Wilson pays tribute to ‘fantastic talent’ Crysencio Summerville

A revitalised Summerville terrorised the Spurs backline during a first-half performance which surely ranks as his best 45 minutes in a West Ham jersey. His opening goal a quarter of an hour in required some luck – his shot deflected past a helpless, hapless Vicario – but few would begrudge Summerville such a moment.

That is two in two now, after 25 games without a goal.

“Cry is a fantastic talent,” Wilson added. “On the whole, he is becoming more consistent. Long may that continue for him.”

Jean-Clair Todibo and Konstantinos Mavropanos step up

Konstantinos Mavropanos was a pre-match doubt. Whatever Nuno said in his prayers to the footballing gods, they listened. Mavropanos made a colossal 14 clearances as he again proved himself to be West Ham’s most credible solution to their weaknesses from corners and crosses.

Jean-Clair Todibo was silky smooth and surprisingly speedy alongside Mavropanos at the back.

Tomas Soucek and Mateus Fernandes made nine tackles between them, meanwhile, as the oft-overworked Areola was protected by a wall of sheet-steel.

Callum Wilson at the death!

But who was your West Ham Man of the Match and why?

“It was massive because there has been a lot of question marks about the boys at the back this season,” Wilson points out. “I’m delighted for them today. It was not the clean sheet they wanted but they worked so hard, blocking shots on the line at the end.

“[Mavropanos] has been sharp today. He’s had a lot of criticism, but he’s dealt with everything coming into that box,” added Matthew Upson, a former Hammers centre-back himself in the late-2000s and early-2010s.

“[Fernandes] really put his foot in and won a lot of duels and tackles. Fernandes is working tirelessly, so is Soucek.

“[And Todibo] has had a lot of sprints into the channels. It’s the liveliest I’ve seen him. He’s shown a bit of pace today. I’m seeing a bit more edge about West Ham’s centre-backs.”

There had already been one derby steamrollering in this Premier League weekend, and Matthew Upson saw West Ham United threaten another during an outstanding first-half performance away to Tottenham Hotspur.

After former Hammer Michael Carrick masterminded a 2-0 victory over Pep Guardiola – the scoreline far more flattering to Manchester City than it was a rip-roaring Man United – Nuno Espirito Santo’s side will have been disappointed to walk down the tunnel only one goal to the good away to their own arch rivals.

Crysencio Summerville ended his 25-match goal drought against Queens Park Rangers in the FA Cup six days prior. As he cut inside Pedro Porro and fired a deflected effort past Guglielmo Vicario in the 15th minute, West Ham United’s number seven found the net on the Premier League stage for the first time since the Julen Lopetegui era.

Describe that first-half masterclass in ONE word!

And how good has Summerville been…

But, as Matthew Upson said during the world feed’s live coverage, do not underestimate the role new boy Pablo Felipe played in the build-up.

Matt Upson hails West Ham United duo Crysencio Summerville and Pablo Felipe

Taty Castellanos used his physicality and back-to-goal awareness to help open up the space for Summerville to drive a dagger into QPR hearts. This time, it was the other of West Ham’s January recruits who played his part.

Nuno handed Pablo a full Premier League debut in place of the absent Lucas Paqueta. And as the Hammers cut a swathe through Spurs’ paper-thin midfield, Pablo popped a lovely first-time lay-off into Mateus Fernandes’ path.

Fernandes then rattled a wicked pass into Summerville’s path, and the Dutchman did the rest.

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“What fantastic football from West Ham! One-touch play, I really like the lay-off from Pablo,” said Upson, who spent four years at Upton Park from 2007 to 2011.

“Porro cannot allow him inside the pitch; the moment he steps inside, Summerville was always favourite – he was going to get that shot off. This is really difficult for Vicario. There’s bodies in the way and the deflection goes in West Ham’s favour, but lovely football to build the situation.

“Nuno will be delighted with that.

“It got popped around the corner into Pablo, two one-touch passes on the bounce. Really nice, simple, quality football from West Ham. Well played from Summerville.

“It looks like the goal has given them a little bit of confidence. Summerville is the key.”

Tottenham terrified as Summerville draws Cristian Romero booking

The former Leeds speedster would breeze through Thomas Frank’s side time and time again in the opening 45 minutes. He even drew a yellow card from the always-combustible Cristian Romero, with both Spurs’ players and their supporters looking terrified and traumatised every time Summerville received possession.

“There’s a feeling with the Spurs fans that, when he gets hold of the ball, there’s a bit of a gasp of ‘what’s going to happen’. They are not happy. He’s looked a real threat Summerville,” Upson adds. He’s played really well in this first half.

“Summerville has been outstanding. To the point where they don’t want to deal with him. Romero has gone straight through the back of him. Summerville has been the star of the first-half.”

How West Ham would love to REPEAT that famous 3-0 win…

But can you work out the four missing players from the 2013 victory?

Upson lauds brilliant Hammers first-half in London derby

Tottenham needed a couple of superb saves from Vicario to deny both Tomas Soucek and Konstantinos Mavropanos. Jarrod Bowen had a goal ruled out for offside while Castellanos failed to hit the target with a header from point-blank range.

“When they are pressed in, if West Ham get one or two passes off, there’s space on the flanks. [Tottenham] look a little bit exposed to me,” said Upson, feeling that the game may be there for the taking for the visitors.

“I’ve been impressed with West Ham on the ball. They’ve got out of tight areas, moved the ball well, and have had a fair chunk of possession as well.

“It is the best I’ve seen West Ham play for a while. They’ve set up nicely away from home. It should be two or three [nil] in this game.”

Taty Castellanos picked up a booking inside the first minute of West Ham United’s derby clash with Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur, much to the bemusement of former Hammer Matt Upson.

Going into the weekend’s fixtures, only one other player had been shown a yellow card inside the opening 60 seconds of a top flight fixture.

That rather dubious honour went the way of Wolves defender Yerson Mosquera.

The team news has landed! How do you now feel about the game after seeing that? 👀

There was barely half a minute gone, however, when Pablo Felipe hit the ground after a collision with Spurs debutant Conor Gallagher. Pablo was making his first Premier League start for West Ham United, and received an early warning as to the physicality of English football.

And Nuno Espirito Santo will be hoping that Taty Castellanos’ unnecessary show of dissent does not come back to haunt the Hammers at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Taty Castellanos booked for dissent one minute into West Ham United vs Tottenham Hotspur

Referee Jarred Gillett handed Castellanos a blink-and-you’d-miss-it booking after the Argentine striker demanded a caution for Gallagher.

“It’s a daft thing to do really, you know the yellow card is coming,” Upson said on the world feed. “The referee is there doing his job. You don’t have to intervene and tell him how to do his job.

“You see him do that [wave an imaginary yellow card] and you’ve got to book him. To get a yellow card after a minute is never great.”

There has been very little to feel positive about at West Ham United this season but Tony Cottee remains as determined as ever to keep the optimism flowing.

The club’s second-highest all-time goalscorer has been an outspoken critic of his beloved old employers and their performances both on and off the pitch in recent months.

He is not the only one. Saying what everyone else is thinking.

But, when a matchday rolls around, Tony Cottee just cannot help but let his heart rule his head. The West Ham United legend is in attendance for Saturday’s 3pm kick-off at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

The team news has landed! How do you now feel about the game after seeing that? 👀

He will have sighed a sigh of relief as Nuno Espirito Santo was handed a massive boost pre-match. Mateus Fernandes and Konstantinos Mavropanos are both fit to start. Their most in-form midfielder, and their most physically-imposing centre-half both in the XI for a massive London derby clash with arch rivals Spurs.

Pablo Felipe is also handed a full Premier League debut, alongside fellow new recruit Taty Castellanos.

Tony Cottee backs West Ham United to avoid defeat at Tottenham Hotspur

Taking to X as he posted his usual pre-match prediction, Cottee can envisage a sharing of the spoils this afternoon.

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“I think we’ve got a chance today,” Cottee writes. “Will take a draw but we need to win.

“[My prediction is] 1-1.”

In truth, a draw is not enough really for a club in West Ham’s position. Roll it back to 2023 and win away at Tottenham, and the Hammers could end the weekend only four points adrift of safety.

Presuming Nottingham Forest lose at home to Arsenal later in the day, that is.

Nuno Espirito Santo determined to use QPR win as a confidence-booster

An under-fire Thomas Frank is urging Tottenham to take some belief from a valiant second half in an otherwise disappointing FA Cup third-round exit at the hands of Aston Villa last time out.

Similarly, his opposite number is also looking to use a much-improved performance in the cup competitions as a springboard for a Premier League revival.

“We are in a tough position but we are fighting to improve our game and the way we play,” Nuno said in his pre-match press conference on Friday. “There were many matches where we played well and didn’t achieve a result, but that [QPR win in the FA Cup] happened at the weekend, so that can be our starting point for what we want to do at Spurs.

How West Ham would love to REPEAT that famous 3-0 win…

But can you work out the four missing players from the 2013 victory?

“There are many things [which explain our poor form], not only luck. There are mistakes, mistakes that we can control.

“Let’s avoid talking about referees, but football is a game of fine margins. It’s the ball that hits the post, an offside by two centimetres. We have to work to gain our luck. We have to go and fight for it.

“[Tottenham] is a good team, full of talented players. Always a tough place to go. We expect a very tough match and it’s a rival – it’s a London derby. We are going to have 30,000 fans. What they expect from us is that we put up a good fight, then we’ll see. It’s a tough opponent and we need to have a good result.

“Our focus is to go there and compete. There is a lot of football to be played, but each game is very, very important for us.”

West Ham head to bitter rivals Tottenham Hotspur with much more than bragging rights at stake and both Nuno Espirito Santo and Thomas Frank have big selection problems.

Lucas Paqueta is the name making the headlines ahead of West Ham’s trip to Spurs.

Both Nuno Espirito Santo and Thomas Frank are under enormous pressure.

Perversely, though, it is actually Tottenham manager Frank who is perhaps facing more scrutiny with reports he could be sacked if West Ham win.

Both the Hammers and Spurs have massively underperformed for the last two years.

That saw Tottenham finish 17th, one place above the relegation zone, last season while the Irons ended up 14th.

Higher stakes than usual as West Ham go to Spurs

Past the halfway stage of this season, though, Spurs have barely improved as they sit 14th while West Ham have regressed even further, sitting eight points adrift in the relegation zone.

Many now make the Hammers certainties for the drop.

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Lucas Paqueta could MISS Spurs v West Ham… 🤔

Who would you pick to start in his No 10 role instead?

But victory over Tottenham could breathe new life into their fight for survival, especially with Nottingham Forest facing Arsenal.

It makes West Ham’s short trip to north London all the more intriguing and utterly vital.

Nuno has been bemoaning West Ham’s lack of luck since his arrival.

But the stars may be aligning for him as Spurs could be missing seven key players for West Ham.

The Hammers are not without their major issues, though.

Nuno looks set to make four big West Ham changes with a top duo out as Spurs miss seven.

Paqueta’s future has been the subject of incessant claim and counterclaim all week as he pushes for a return to boyhood club Flamengo.

Talks were held between West Ham and the Brazilian giants on Friday as a deal looks increasingly likely in January.

Paqueta missed the QPR game in the FA Cup citing a back injury.

Nuno makes four big West Ham changes as Spurs miss seven

The situation got messy this week when West Ham accused Paqueta of ‘lies’ and ‘playing games’ over his injury.

Ironically, Spurs also made an offer to West Ham for Paqueta, but his response was swift and unequivocal.

With these players out or doutbful, who needs to step up against Tottenham?!

All eyes will be on whether Paqueta is available for the game after Nuno called on West Ham to resolve the situation quickly.

Hammers News believes Paqueta will not make the trip to Tottenham – and he won’t be the only key player missing.

Mateus Fernandes has been one of West Ham’s better players this season. He brings energy and combativeness to the midfield.

The Hammers will need that given Spurs are going to be boosted by the arrival of longstanding West Ham target Conor Gallagher.

But Fernandes has been training alone all week working on recovery after also missing the QPR game.

That gives Nuno a major headache in replacing Fernandes’ athleticism.

Tottenham’s top scorer Richarlison will miss the West Ham game through injury as will former Hammer Mohammed Kudus, arguably Spurs’ best player this season, who is out until April.

Midfield duo Lucas Bergvall and Rodrigo Bentancur are both out as are long-term absentees Dejan Kulisevski and James Maddison while Senegal star Pape Sarr remains at AFCON, along with West Ham’s El Hadji Malick Diouf, as they face Morocco in the final this weekend.

Kilman, Magassa, Potts and Wan-Bissaka in from start?

How Nuno sets up without Paqueta and Fernandes will go a long way to deciding the outcome of the game.

Konstantinos Mavropanos may have to sit the game out with a neck injury.

So Max Kilman will replace him in the starting XI from the team which started the last Premier League clash with Forest in change number one.

Aaron Wan-Bissaka will replace Ollie Scarles in change number two and either he or Kyle Walker-Peters will switch to left-back.

With Fernandes out and Paqueta out, Nuno will bring Freddie Potts and Soungoutou Magassa back into the starting XI from the team which lost to Forest in changes three and four.

Predicted West Ham starting XI to face Spurs:

Areola, Wan-Bissaka, Todibo, Kilman, Walker-Peters, Magassa, Potts, Soucek, Bowen, Summerville, Castellanos.

Kyle Walker-Peters has put what could be a nervy game for West Ham United at Tottenham on Saturday into perspective.

In a Premier League context, the mood is low at West Ham United.

Seven points from safety in the Premier League table and having lost to Wolves and Nottingham Forest, that is natural.

Be honest; how would YOU feel if West Ham swapped Nuno for Thomas Frank?

The Spurs boss has come in for huge criticism…

Still, Spurs are not in good form themselves. Thomas Frank is under huge pressure ahead of Tottenham versus West Ham and his side have won only two home games in the league all season.

This is not a vintage Tottenham team and the pressure under which they play at home is exploitable.

Walker-Peters, a former Spurs player, is aware of that.

Kyle Walker-Peters says Tottenham are struggling

The defender was speaking to West Ham’s official website ahead of the game.

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Club interviews are never likely to move the needle that much by their very nature, but Walker-Peters did make an interesting comment.

He, unsurprisingly, claimed that the squad know that Spurs are enduring issues of their own right now.

He said: “You always want to win the derby. We know they’re having a bit of a tough time as well.

“It’s going to be a tough game, but we’ll be ready for it, and we need to want it more than them.

Kudus AND Bowen? Castellanos over Richarlison? Wan-Bissaka over Porro?

What changes would YOU make to our West Ham and Spurs combined XI

“They’re a top team, there’s no denying that. I think you saw last season they won a trophy, and they’ll be looking to turn their season around also.

“They’re at home, so they’ll want to dominate the game, but we’ll be ready to combat that, and we’re looking to get the win.

“I absolutely loved my time there. It’s been part of my life since I was a kid, so I’ve got nothing but positive things to say about Tottenham, but on matchday, there are no friends on the pitch, and I’ll be doing everything I can to get the three points.”

Indeed, there are reasons to believe that West Ham can make the short trip to north London and win.

West Ham’s record at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

Spurs have been dreadful at home under Frank.

Interestingly, they also do not tend to have it all their own way against the Hammers at their relatively new ground.

Seven derbies have been played at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium since it opened in 2019. West Ham have won two of those, while drawing once and losing the other three.

Though the mood is low at West Ham, this is very much a beatable Tottenham side, particularly at home.

West Ham desperately need a victory to aid in their battle to beat the drop and the possibility cannot be ruled out.

As West Ham United prepare to make the short trip to North London for Saturday’s 3pm Premier League kick-off, Tottenham Hotspur head coach Thomas Frank is of the belief a recent defeat may show the way to victory.

Frank has lost a grand total of seven home matches in all competitions since taking over in the summer.

While the London Stadium is far from the space-age fortress it was intended to be when West Ham United swapped the Boleyn Ground for, well, a bowl without a soul, Spurs’ dreadful home record has not exactly endeared their current head coach to the local support.

How West Ham would love to REPEAT that famous 3-0 win…

But can you work out the four missing players from the 2013 victory?

Nuno Espirito Santo hopes that FA Cup victory over QPR can be a springboard for a much improved second-half of the campaign. In his own way, Thomas Frank reflects on Tottenham’s third-round defeat to Aston Villa with similar hopefulness, even if first-half strikes from Emi Buendia and Morgan Rogers did see Unai Emery’s side progress at their expense.

Thomas Frank spells out what Tottenham must do to beat West Ham United

It says a lot about how low the standards have fallen at Spurs – Champions League finalists not so long ago – that a somewhat valiant 45 minutes in a home defeat to Aston Villa is being highlighted as one of the biggest pluses of the Frank era.

Talk about a game of two halves. Or, more fittingly, a performance of two halves.

Nuno jolted West Ham into life against Queens Park Rangers by introducing Pablo Felipe and Tomas Soucek. Frank, less than 24 hours earlier, saw his team up the intensity, pin Aston Villa back, and threaten to turn a 2-0 deficit into an extra-time battle.

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They would ultimately fail, of course.

But Frank knows that, with a repeat of their dismal first-half showing against Villa, they would be risking an embarrassing derby defeat up there with 2013’s Ravel Morrison-inspired trouncing. A performance more akin to their second-half showing against Villa, though, and Spurs may have too much for a West Ham side with the worst defensive record in the Premier League.

“I know it’s a big London derby against West Ham, with the rivalry and everything,” Frank tells the club’s official website. “But it’s all about us.

“It’s how we come out with energy, positive, forward [thinking]. Adding hopefully our first half against Sunderland [a 1-1 draw this month], second-half against Villa.

“If we can do that, then we’ll put a top performance out there and then we’ll win the game.

“It’s all about how we can get the players out there full of confidence and brave and play forward. Hopefully, that energy and the collaboration between the team and the fans that you felt second-half against Villa, first-half against Sunderland, that is what we need to get more of.

“When you have that, then it is a fantastic place, our fantastic stadium, our home. That is where we need to be. I mean it. Any successful team needs to create a fortress. I know it has been difficult, but that is what we are aiming for.

“The more we do, the more we believe, the more we do together, the better chance we have.”

Nuno Espirito Santo hopes to have Mateus Fernandes back

With these players out or doutbful, who needs to step up against Tottenham?!

In addition to that iconic 3-0 thrashing under Sam Allardyce, West Ham also beat Tottenham away from home in 2019 and again in 2023, when the now out-of-favour James Ward-Prowse struck the winner a few weeks before Christmas.

Mohammed Kudus is unavailable against his former employers due to injury, while Spurs have also lost top-scorer Richarlison and arguably their most-effective central midfield pairing of Rodrigo Bentancur and Lucas Bergvall.

In the other dugout, Nuno is hoping to have Mateus Fernandes available. Konstantinos Mavropanos could miss out, though.

“We are in a tough position but we are fighting to improve our game and the way we play,” Nuno adds. “There were many matches where we played well and didn’t achieve a result, but that [QPR win in the FA Cup] happened at the weekend, so that can be our starting point for what we want to do at Spurs.”

“There are many things [which explain our poor form], not only luck. There are mistakes, mistakes that we can control.

“Let’s avoid talking about referees, but football is a game of fine margins. It’s the ball that hits the post, an offside by two centimetres. We have to work to gain our luck. We have to go and fight for it.

“[Tottenham] is a good team, full of talented players. Always a tough place to go. We expect a very tough match and it’s a rival – it’s a London derby. We are going to have 30,000 fans. What they expect from us is that we put up a good fight, then we’ll see. It’s a tough opponent and we need to have a good result. Our focus is to go there and compete. There is a lot of football to be played, but each game is very, very important for us.”

West Ham United face a crunch game against rivals Tottenham on Saturday.

Both teams are struggling ahead of Saturday’s huge London derby in the Premier League, with Nuno Espirito Santo and Thomas Frank equally under pressure.

Already one of the most passionate games on the Premier League calendar, the stakes feel very high in this one.

Be honest; how would YOU feel if West Ham swapped Nuno for Thomas Frank?

The Spurs boss has come in for huge criticism…

West Ham United are seven points from safety in the Premier League table and desperately need to start picking up points.

Doing that at the home of their big rivals and therefore inflicting more misery on Spurs would be a sweet statement of intent for Hammers fans.

Here’s all you need to know.

Tottenham vs West Ham United is scheduled for a 3pm GMT kick-off time on Saturday, 17 January, 2025.

The match will be played at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London.

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With these players out or doutbful, who needs to step up against Tottenham?!

Where to watch Tottenham vs West Ham United

The game takes place during the 3pm blackout across British football. As such, Tottenham vs West Ham will not be shown on television in the UK.

Supporters can, however, follow the match live and discuss it all with the Hammers News team with TalkingPoints! Sign up for free here to join thousands of others.

Tottenham vs West Ham United team news

Both teams have injury concerns heading into the game.

West Ham’s injury list ahead of the Tottenham game is growing. Konstantinos Mavropanos is a doubt after suffering a neck injury against QPR in the FA Cup last time out.

Lucas Paqueta is a doubt with what has been called a back problem amid major doubts about his future at the club.

Mateus Fernandes could return, while Lukasz Fabianski is still injured. El Hadji Malick Diouf will miss the game and will instead be in action when Senegal play Morocco in the final of the Africa Cup of Nations on Sunday.

Spurs will be without all of Richarlison, Mohammed Kudus, Rodrigo Bentancur, James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski and Pape Matar Sarr.

Tottenham vs West Ham prediction

Spurs have largely been dreadful at home under Frank, so this does look like a genuine chance for West Ham.

While little about Nuno’s side inspires much in the way of confidence, they could put Spurs under huge pressure with a fast start.

It’s hard to see the Hammers keeping a clean sheet, however. That has happened only once all season.

Frankly, both teams are in such poor form that a bore draw does feel likely.

Score prediction: Tottenham 1-1 West Ham

Tottenham vs West Ham confirmed referee

The Premier League have confirmed that Jarred Gillett will oversee the match. James Bell will be on VAR duty.

Gillett was also in charge for the reverse fixture between these two back in September, a 3-0 defeat for West Ham during which Tomas Soucek was sent off.

It is the small matter of West Ham United versus Tottenham Hotspur this weekend; a match which could come to represent a welcome turning point or an end-of-days afternoon for two under-fire Premier League gaffers.

Thomas Frank vs Nuno Espirito Santo. 14th vs 18th.

From Champions League finalists and Conference League winners to mid-table mediocrity and survival battlers; Expect the rapid decline of both clubs to be the central topic of pre-match discussion when Spurs host their hated rivals from the East on Saturday afternoon.

Can West Ham United build on their nervy but much-needed FA Cup triumph over Queens Park Rangers? Will Lucas Paqueta sign off in style? Will he even play at all? And who will be needed to step up with Mateus Fernandes facing a race against time?

What do West Ham have to do to BEAT Tottenham on Saturday? ⚒️

And what is your favourite West Ham v Spurs moment?

West Ham United hope to secure a first win over Tottenham since 2023

Of the eleven players who started when West Ham defeated Spurs back in December 2023, only five remain at the club today.

A quintet which includes third-choice goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski, the surely-departing Lucas Paqueta and forgotten man James Ward-Prowse. How times have changed.

Ward-Prowse scored the winner that day. Two years later, the England international is not even in Nuno’s immediate plans.

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Former boss Alan Curbishley believes 2007’s ‘Great Escape’ started with a thrilling derby against Tottenham. But what can Nuno do to repeat the magic of ’07? Or, failing that, a repeat of that 2023 triumph in North London?

Where will West Ham vs Tottenham be WON and LOST?

A battle between two inconsistent goalkeepers… 🧤

Forget the managers; there are serious doubts about whether either Alphonse Areola or Guglielmo Vicario will start next season as their club’s respective number ones.

The erratic form of two occasionally-brilliant but often-exasperating goalkeepers is just one of many potential flashpoints this weekend.

Dominic Solanke vs Jean-Clair Todibo? Ollie Scarles vs Wilson Odobert? Jarrod Bowen vs Djed Spence? With injuries stacking up, this may be an occasion which requires a rather unexpected hero.

Mateus Fernandes and Lucas Paqueta are doubts

Speaking of injuries, Nuno admits that Mateus Fernandes and Lucas Paqueta are both doubts. In the latter’s case, it is not only a reported back injury which could keep him out.

Konstantinos Mavropanos may be out as well after he was stretchered off against QPR.

On the upside, such absences open up an opportunity for another, perhaps less-heralded player to make a name for themselves…

With these players out or doutbful, who needs to step up against Tottenham?!

Thomas Frank may struggle to survive another Spurs embarrassment

Hammers News can confirm that Nuno retains the backing of David Sullivan and co at West Ham. Thomas Frank might not be quite so fortunate, especially if Tottenham suffer an eighth home defeat of his tenure against a bitter rival.

But if Frank was fired tomorrow, and Nuno quickly followed suit, would you be willing to welcome a man who established Brentford as modern-day Premier League stalwarts?

If not, let us know your preferred Nuno successor? That is, of course, unless you believe a Curbishley-esque revival is on the cards.

Be honest; how would YOU feel if West Ham swapped Nuno for Thomas Frank?

The Spurs boss has come in for huge criticism…

West Ham will hope to repeat 2013’s famous White Hart Lane triumph

That wondrous victory 13 years ago is best remembered for Ravel Morrison’s sublime solo effort. But can you remember who led the line for Sam Allardyce’s side that day?

And who was the 113-cap defender who started at left-back?

How West Ham would love to REPEAT that famous 3-0 win…

But can you work out the four missing players from the 2013 victory?

James Ward-Prowse likely to be omitted once again

For the second week in succession, Nuno indicated that there is no way back for James Ward-Prowse at West Ham.

In a season where set-pieces have taken on a greater importance than ever before, is Nuno missing a trick omitting one of the division’s finest deliverers of a dead-ball?

If you were in Nuno’s shoes, would you be willing to offer an olive branch?

West Ham’s trip to Tottenham is an absolutely huge game for several reasons.

Really, the main point of focus has to be on West Ham’s perilous position in the Premier League table.

Still, it’s obviously difficult to look at any game between the two clubs away from the context that they are huge rivals.

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But can you work out the four missing players from the 2013 victory?

Throw in the fact that both managers are under pressure, as well as the fact that Nuno Espirito Santo used to coach Spurs, and it looks even more interesting.

It’s a fascinating game and one dripping with narrative and Chris Sutton believes the Hammers will be on the losing side.

Chris Sutton predicts Tottenham to beat West Ham

Interestingly, Sutton recently made a comment about West Ham fans.

When predicting the Irons to beat QPR in the FA Cup ahead of Sunday’s victory, Sutton suggested that Nuno’s side didn’t really have a home advantage because of how much West Ham fans dislike life at the London Stadium.

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After Sutton’s previous comments about West Ham fans, he once again referenced those issues with the stadium before predicting them to lose on Saturday despite it being played at Spurs.

In his BBC Sport column, the former England striker wrote: “Tottenham’s home form is miserable, with two wins in 10 league games, and there is so much angst amongst their fans at the moment.

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“Similarly, West Ham’s players are probably better off away from home right now because of the animosity from their supporters inside their own stadium, but their away record is just as atrocious with only one win in 10.

“This is one of those games where I like to wheel out one of my favourite sayings in football – these two teams have been so bad recently that they both could lose.

“It’s certainly hard to make a case for either of them to win it. I am going to go with Spurs, because new signing Conor Gallagher has plenty of energy and will add some thrust and drive to their midfield.

“But it’s a lot easier to predict that it will be a dismal game, with Tottenham booed off after a bang-average performance that means Thomas Frank is still under pressure despite winning.

“As for Hammers boss Nuno Espirito Santo, he is just going to be in even greater danger of getting the sack.

“Sutton’s prediction: 1-0.”

Nuno’s verdict on Tottenham as strange quirk of the season continues

This will be the third consecutive Premier League game in which Nuno has come up against one of his former clubs.

Sadly for West Ham, they’ve lost the last two. Nuno tasted defeat at the hands of Wolves and Nottingham Forest earlier this month and will hope that it’s a case of third time lucky on Saturday.

Speaking ahead of a return to his former employers, Nuno said of Spurs: “It’s a good team. They have talented players, and it’s always a tough place to go. It’s a rival as well, so it’s a London derby.

“The fans expect us to put up a good fight, then we will see.”