A fierce London Derby awaits when Tottenham Hotspur host West Ham United with a chance to spoil each other’s fortunes. 

West Ham travel across London to take on the Premier League table toppers yet unbeaten in 2023/24. 

Tottenham have improved massively from last season and are unbeaten in their previous three games against the Hammers. Emerson Royal and Son Heung-Min grabbed second-half goals the last time West Ham visited Spurs in the Premier League, and they will be looking for more of the same this time. 

Ange Postecoglou has overseen a stunning start to the season with Spurs as an opening-day draw at Brentford was followed by consecutive 2-0 victories over Manchester United and Bournemouth. Winning 5-2 at Burnley was a peak attacking performance from Tottenham, but a 2-1 victory against Sheffield United showed they could win other ways too.

Quickfire strikes in added time from Richarlison and Dejan Kulusevski shed light on their hopes of challenging this term. However, the next two matches proved they could contend following a draw against Arsenal and a sensational late winner to cap off a controversial affair versus Liverpool. 

Luton Town was a man up in front of their home crowd but still failed to get past the Lilywhites, who won 1-0, while Heung-Min Son and James Maddison scored to wrap up a win against Fulham.

These incredible feats of resilience and assured goalscoring have filled the Tottenham faithful with confidence, and they will be taking on all comers this season. A lack of European football should see them concentrate on an automatic top-four spot in the league, and their performances will ensure they are amongst the best teams in the division. 

Therefore, a win against West Ham will be the paramount focus going into this game, and they know they have more than enough to defeat David Moyes’ men.

The Hammers are not favourites in this match but are capable of a result that upsets Tottenham’s hopes. Having lifted the UEFA Europa Conference League at the end of last season, the belief in their Scottish manager has never been stronger

A bitter taste was left in their mouths after Bournemouth snatched a point in the opening game of the campaign, but much better was to come. This is because West Ham beat Chelsea 3-1 in their first home game and built some much-needed momentum with two more victories against Brighton and Luton Town. 

Manchester City and Liverpool showed the Hammers the levels they are yet to reach after consecutive 3-1 defeats. Yet, West Ham continued to impress with a 2-1 win against Sheffield United and securing a point at home to Newcastle.

The 4-1 spanking at Aston Villa following the October international break left a bitter taste in the Hammers’ mouths, but they will be dusting themselves down ahead of oncoming challenges. 

West Ham are tipped to push higher up the league this season, and a derby atmosphere against Spurs could act as a catalyst for them. They are in ninth position after four wins and two draws from the first nine Premier League games. 

Although they are winless in the last three league matches against Tottenham, there were two wins and a draw in the previous three, and they must put out a defiant performance to get anything out of Postecoglou’s buoyant side. 

Match tickets

This match takes place on Tuesday, 5 December, with the action kicking off at 8:45 PM UK time. Tottenham vs West Ham tickets are available for sale on each club’s website, but make sure that the game will be quickly sold out.

The 62,850-capacity Tottenham Hotspur Stadium will be awash with supporters, and given it is a London Derby, the atmosphere in the ground will be electric, with the game set to be feisty. It may take a considerable effort to find West Ham away tickets as those making the short trip across the English capital contend with the late rush.

Yet, supporters desperate to attend the match may be lucky to find a solution on a ticket resale site. 

Team news

Spurs have been given a timely boost with the returns of Bryan Gil, Brennan Johnson and Giovani Lo Celso recently from injuries. Yves Bissouma is also back available after a sending-off at Luton. 

Nevertheless, Postecoglou’s first team squad is ravaged by an injury crisis, with Ivan Perisic, Rodrigo Bentancur, Manor Solomon, Ryan Sessegnon and Alfie Whiteman all ruled out.

On the other hand, West Ham is enjoying better luck with fitness as they have been bolstered in the defensive ranks with the returns of Ben Johnson and Aaron Cresswell.

Line-ups

Tottenham possess a settled team of starters who can only be tweaked by fitness or suspension. That includes an in-form James Maddison, who has shone brightly on and off the pitch as a Tottenham player. 

Heung-Min Son is also stepping up to the plate as club captain. His shift to the centre-forward position is seeing an increase in goalscoring output as he enjoys a stellar attacking combination with Maddison. 

Tottenham: Vicario; Porro, Van de Ven, Romero, Udogie; Bissouma, Sarr; Kulusevski, Maddison, Richarlison; Son

Moyes’ sides have a real identity as they work hard and soak up pressure off the ball while they spring into attack with lightning-quick forwards. The critical battle will be in the engine room, where Edson Alvarez and Tomas Soucek form a pivot that looks to combine with the crafty James Ward-Prowse

The ex-Southampton captain is undoubtedly one to watch, as West Ham will depend on his set-piece deliveries in a game where they are expected to defend for long periods.

West Ham United: Areola; Coufal, Zouma, Aguerd, Emerson; Alvarez, Soucek; Bowen, Ward-Prowse, Paqueta; Antonio

Prediction

West Ham should struggle to keep out the rejuvenated Spurs, as they have kept only one clean sheet all season. Regardless of those defensive woes, the Irons have real quality in their attacking armoury to hurt the Lilywhites. 

Jarrod Bowen is a man in form for West Ham, but Spurs have enough firepower to overwhelm that soft underbelly. The latter should be the case come matchday. 

Tottenham 3-1 West Ham