Prediction: Tottenham vs West Ham

Verdict: Tottenham win

Best Odds: 4/6

Bookmaker: Bet365

In a battle between two sides in the midst of a real struggle, Tottenham will welcome relegation scrappers West Ham across the capital on Tuesday night.

Tottenham

Starting with the hosts, throwing away the lead late on against Manchester United on their return to action and eventually lucky to leave with a point, Spurs are a side in desperate need of a bounce. Now sat four points adrift of the top-six and in a real uphill battle to secure any kind of European finish this season, Jose Mourinho has seen his men fail to win any of their last seven appearances across all competitions either side of the break. Crashing out of the Champions League in a dreadful 4-0 aggregate hammering against German outfit RB Leipzig and also seeing a rock-bottom Norwich end their FA Cup adventure earlier in the year, the former United boss finds himself in the most testing period of his tenure. Although Spurs may have been glad to welcome back a string of their most important starts on Friday night, the midweek hosts have gained a reputation for their most recent displays at their new home. Including a 3-2 defeat against Spurs before entering March’s enforced break, Tottenham have now failed to win any of their last four contests in North London, their worst record since making the move from Wembley.

Team News

Tottenham are boosted by the return of Dele Alli and Lucas Moura after suspension and injury respectively, while Jan Vertonghen and Michel Vorm have signed new short-term deals.

Defenders Japhet Tanganga and Juan Foyth remain sidelined.

West Ham

As for the visitors, offering very little in return and hit with what was a routine 2-0 defeat at home against Wolves over the weekend, a woeful West Ham appear to have left off from where they finished in March. Despite breaking the bank last summer, the Hammers find only their goal difference keeping them outside of the drop zone. With the mood around the London Stadium growing more unpleasant by the week, David Moyes’ men have lost four of their last five Premier League appearances and have just a single win to their name since New Year’s Day. Also crashing out of the FA Cup against Championship outfit West Brom earlier in the year, the one-time Manchester United boss has seen his side continue to struggle with their form on the road. Including a 4-1 drumming away at the King Power back in January, the Hammers have lost each of their last six top-flight matchups outside of East London and face an unenviable return to action. A side in the midst of a growing crisis, it should also be noted that Moyes’ relegation scrappers have failed to land a single clean sheet in any of their previous 10 top-tier outings.

Team News

West Ham centre-back Angelo Ogbonna has returned to training and is being assessed.

Forward Sebastian Haller again looks set to miss out, as does Robert Snodgrass due to an ongoing back issue.

Key Factors to Consider

• When the two sides faced off at the London Stadium earlier in the season, Tottenham picked up a 3-2 win.
• In fact, Spurs have won three of their last four meetings against the Hammers across all formats.
• Tottenham winger Steven Bergwijn has scored two goals in his last three Premier League appearances.
• West Ham have lost each of their last six Premier League away contests on the bounce.
• Wednesday’s guests have also failed to record a clean sheet in any of their last 10 matches on the bounce.

Conclusion

On paper, while Tottenham might be in the midst of their own extended rut, they should see Wednesday as a real chance to bounce back against their cross-town rivals. With the Hammers marking their return with a sluggish 2-0 defeat at home against Wolves and only their goal difference keeping them out of the bottom-three, it is also hard to look past their woeful record away from the London Stadium. With Tottenham landing a 3-2 win when they faced off against West Ham earlier in the season and winning three of their last four meetings against David Moyes’ side, we’re backing a similar outcome in North London this week.

Verdict: Tottenham win

Best Odds: 4/6

Bookmaker: Bet365