Tottenham Hotspur will host West Ham United in North London on Saturday, with both teams looking to get their campaigns back on track.

Tottenham Hotspur have picked up just one from their last six Premier League matches ahead of the game vs West Ham United. The Hammers have lost three of their last six Premier League matches, and the fans will demand a strong performance from the players.

Meanwhile, West Ham United are 18th in the Premier League table, and they are one of the favourites to go down this season. The Hammers have lost five of their last six Premier League matches, and they are completely lacking in form and confidence. This will be an uphill challenge for Nuno Espirito Santo’s charges, and it remains to be seen whether they can get the job done.

The visitors have failed to win any of their last four matches against Tottenham Hotspur, and they will need to produce a strong performance to get something out of this contest. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.

Team News & Tactics

Tottenham Hotspur

James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski are unavailable due to their long-term knee injuries. Dominic Solanke is sidelined with an ankle problem. Destiny Udogie is struggling with a knock. Meanwhile, Pape Matar Sarr is away at the Africa Cup of Nations.

Lucas Bergvall has an undisclosed injury, and Mohammed Kudus and Rodrigo Bentancur have a thigh problems. However, Cristian Romero and Yves Bissouma are fit and available to take on West Ham United this weekend

Tottenham Hotspur will shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation vs West Ham United, with Guglielmo Vicario in goal. Pedro Porro and Djed Spence will start as the full-backs. They will look to help out defensively and contribute in the final third as well. Meanwhile, Cristian Romero will start alongside Micky van de Ven at the heart of the defence.

As for the midfield unit, Joao Palhinha will add defensive cover and physicality alongside Archie Gray. They will look to keep things tight in the middle of the park. Xavi Simons will start in the attacking midfield role and look to link the midfield to the attack.

Wilson Odobert and Richarlison will add pace, flair, and unpredictability from the flanks. Finally, Randal Kolo Muani will lead the line for Tottenham Hotspur vs West Ham United on Saturday. So, Conor Gallagher, signed this week from Atletico Madrid, will be a backup option on the bench for the home side.

Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Vicario; Porro, Romero, van de Ven, Spence; Gray, Palhinha; Odobert, Simons, Richarlison; Kolo Muani

West Ham United

Lukasz Fabianski will miss out due to a lower-back injury. El Hadji Malick Diouf is away for AFCON with Senegal. Konstantinos Mavropanos could miss out after suffering a neck injury in the FA Cup. Meanwhile, Lucas Paqueta and Mateus Fernandes face late fitness tests to determine their availability.

West Ham United will shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation vs Tottenham Hotspur, with Alphonse Areola in goal. Kyle Walker-Peters and Oliver Scarles will start as the full-backs. They will look to contribute at both ends of the pitch. Max Kilman will start alongside Jean-Clair Todibo in the central defensive partnership.

As for the midfield unit, Tomas Soucek will pair up with Soungoutou Magassa in the double pivot. They will look to add defensive cover and physicality to the midfield. Mateus Fernandes will start as the attacking midfielder here, and he will look to create goal-scoring chances for his teammates.

Jarrod Bowen and Lucas Paqueta will add creativity, flair, and goals from the flanks. Finally, Taty Castellanos will spearhead the West Ham United attack vs Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday. So, Pablo will be a backup option on the bench for the away side.

Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Areola; Walker-Peters, Kilman, Todibo, Scarles; Soucek, Magassa; Bowen, Fernandes, Paqueta; Castellanos

Key Stats

• West Ham United have lost five of their last six matches in the Premier League. The Hammers are winless in their last 10 Premier League games (D4 L6). It is their longest run without a win since a run of 11 between December 2006 and March 2007, losing 4-3 against Spurs in their 11th game back then.
• Tottenham have scored at least two goals in seven of their last eight home matches against West Ham in all competitions. Both teams have picked up two wins each in the last six meetings between them.
• Five of the last six meetings between these two teams have seen both sides get on the score sheet.
• Tottenham have won just four of their last 24 Premier League home games (D6 L14), while their two home wins this season is their lowest ever after 10 games in a league campaign.
• West Ham United have lost all six Premier League London derbies this season. Only two sides in English top-flight history have ever lost 7+ consecutive all-London matches: Fulham (13 from August 2018 to November 2020) and QPR (7 from August 1995 to January 1996).

Player to Watch

Cristian Romero

Tottenham have been quite poor defensively in recent weeks, and the Argentine international is thus our key player to watch. He will need to step up and perform at a high-level if Tottenham want to grind out a positive result here.

West Ham have invested in attacking players in January, and they will look to make life difficult for the opposition here. Tottenham must stay organised at the back if they want to nick a win here. Romero could be crucial for the home team. It will be interesting to see if the 2022 FIFA World Cup winner can help his team pick up all three points.

Prediction

Tottenham Hotspur 1-1 West Ham United

Both teams will be desperate for a positive result here, and this is likely to be a close contest. It will be difficult to separate the two teams. Tottenham and West ham are likely to get on the score sheet here, and they will share the spoils in a draw. Neither side will want to end up on the losing side, so they are likely to take a cautious approach.