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Tottenham Hotspur play host to West Ham United on Saturday as Mauricio Pochettino’s side look to strengthen their hold of third position.
Spurs come into the game on the back of a narrow 1-0 victory over Brighton on Tuesday at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The home side were clearly not at their best but got the job done through Christian Eriksen’s last-gasp strike.
The victory allowed The Lilywhites to establish a three-point gap between themselves and Chelsea. Moreover, with the West Londoners not in action till Sunday, Spurs have the opportunity to swell their lead come Saturday.
West Ham, meanwhile, have been extremely volatile over the course of the season and have arguably not done justice to the talent they possess. After all, a team comprising the likes of Felipe Anderson, Marko Arnautovic, Mark Noble and Declan Rice shouldn’t be languishing in 11th spot in the Premier League table.
Yet, they’ve contrived to do so and their dubious away form has contributed massively. In 2019, the Hammers have scored only two goals on the road, and have been quite woeful.
At present, Manuel Pellegirini’s troops are enduring a four match losing streak away from home and are in real danger of losing five in a row for the first time since the 2013-14 season.
Hence, the evidence on paper suggests that Spurs should have an easy day out at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. However, with The Lilywhites and the Hammers having engaged in feisty London derbies over the years, one would be naïve to rule out the possibility of an upset.
Kick-off Information
Venue: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
Date: 27th April, 2019
Time: 12:30 (Local Time), 17:00 (IST)
Where to watch: Star Sports Network; Live streaming on Hotstar
Form Guide
Last five competitive matches (Most recent first)
Tottenham: W-L-L-W-W
West Ham: D-L-L-L-W
Head to Head
Tottenham wins: 96
West Ham wins: 63
Draws: 52
Previous Matches this season
West Ham 0-1 Tottenham (Premier League)
West Ham 1-3 Tottenham (Carabao Cup)
Stat of the Day
The 2018-19 season represents the 12th campaign where Tottenham and West Ham have clashed at least thrice in a term. However, Spurs have never won all of those games in a single season.
Star to watch out for:
Dele Alli
The Englishman has endured a sub-standard 2018-19 season so far having failed to breach the 10-goal barrier in the Premier League. However, a lot of the erratic form has been due to the several injuries that have side-lined him.
Yet, recently, Dele Alli has returned to full fitness and looks primed to have a major say in the home stretch of Spurs’ season. At times against Manchester City last weekend, the midfielder showcased glimpses of the immense talent he possesses. Unfortunately for him, he wasn’t able to combine flair with any substantial end product.
However, against a defensively open team like West Ham, one can expect Alli to be accorded loads of space to operate in the final third, thus opening up the possibility of the Englishman conjuring a goal or an assist.
In addition, the Hammers have faced problems with opposition midfielders running beyond the forwards from midfield. With Alli specialising in the above trait, the midfielder would be hoping to grab his 6th league goal of the season on Saturday afternoon.
