Preview: West Ham United vs. Tottenham Hotspur - prediction, team news, lineups

West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur head into Sunday's London derby with just one point separating the clubs in the Premier League standings.

22 Oct 2021, 12:51 · Sports Mole

Despite indifferent starts, the teams sit in seventh and fifth place respectively, one victory away from potentially moving into the top four.

Match preview

While West Ham have performed at a consistently-high level for over 12 months, some of their supporters will still feel in dreamland given the vast improvements made under David Moyes.

Nevertheless, the Hammers head into their latest London derby on a steeper upward trajectory than the likes of Arsenal and their next opponents, and there is widespread belief that there is still more to come.

West Ham have, so far, made light work of their opponents in the Europa League, extending their run to three successive victories in seeing off Genk on Thursday night.

However, it is away wins such as the one at Everton last weekend which highlight their resoluteness, Moyes's men now having 10 points from four away fixtures.

Although the home defeats against Brentford and Manchester United were hugely frustrating, Moyes will recognise that his side are close to breaking into the Premier League's elite if they can see off one of their fierce rivals on Sunday.

From Nuno Espirito Santo's perspective, he will be in two minds whether this fixture has come at the right time given the backlash after the Vitesse game.

Nuno, with some justification, rested the 11 players which edged out Newcastle United last weekend, but a second-string side were not at the races as they succumbed to a 1-0 reverse.

With Spurs still sitting in fifth position in the table with 15 points from eight games, there is potential for any criticism to subside with a win at the London Stadium.

That said, a fourth league defeat in nine would inevitably see Nuno come under further fire from the stands ahead of next weekend's home clash with Manchester United.

On a positive note, Harry Kane finally netted his first Premier League goal of the season at St James' Park, ending a six-game wait in the process.

West Ham United Premier League form:

West Ham United form (all competitions):

Tottenham Hotspur Premier League form:

Tottenham Hotspur form (all competitions):

Team News

Michail Antonio will return to the West Ham starting lineup after being rested by Moyes in midweek.

Vladimir Coufal could make an appearance at right-back after a brief spell on the sidelines, but the rest of the team which started at Everton should feature in this contest.

Barring any late fitness issues, it will be the same story as far as Spurs are concerned with 11 players rested in the Europa Conference League.

None of the team which started at Vitesse did enough to convince Nuno that he should make any alterations to the side which outclassed Newcastle.

That will see the likes of Oliver Skipp and Tanguy Ndombele get the nod in midfield, with Lucas Moura remaining on the right flank.

West Ham United possible starting lineup:
Fabianski; Coufal, Zouma, Ogbonna, Cresswell; Soucek, Rice; Bowen, Benrahma, Fornals; Antonio

Tottenham Hotspur possible starting lineup:
Lloris, Emerson, Romero, Dier, Reguilon; Skipp, Hojbjerg; Moura, Ndombele, Son; Kane

We say: West Ham United 1-2 Tottenham Hotspur

While West Ham may begin this fixture as the marginal favourites, Spurs are well-rested after last week's win at Newcastle. With that in mind, we are backing the visitors to come on strong during the final stages to claim a potentially-crucial three points for Nuno.

Top tip

Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting a double chance bet on a home win or an away win in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.Home/Away:data

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