It’s good to be back! The Premier League is back up and running after a successful first round of games, and we move onto the second round of fixtures with Spurs v West Ham being a hugely important game for both teams – but for very contrasting reasons.
Spurs sit 4 points off 5th place, a position that could very well secure them Champions League football next season depending on Man City’s appeal. Meanwhile, West Ham sit level on points with 18th-place Bournemouth after last Saturday’s 2-0 loss at home to Wolves.
Tottenham’s last win in the league came against Aston Villa 5 games ago, but a big reason for their run of poor form was due to Harry Kane and Son Heung-min both picking up injuries. Playing without these two was a massive blow and it’s clear that any team would struggle.
Against Man Utd on Friday, I thought Spurs played very well in the first half, albeit getting a lucky goal after a David De Gea error – but it was well deserved. They then came out a very different team in the second half. In true Jose Mourinho fashion they parked the bus and tried their best to cling onto the 1-0 win which clearly backfired.
Tottenham to win
I think Spurs will come out a different team against West Ham tonight (20.15). If they go a goal up I don’t think they will make the same mistake and put 11 men behind the ball, they will go for the kill and could very well put 2 or 3 goals past a struggling West Ham team.
Harry Kane to score 1st
One player who will be eager to get back on form will be Harry Kane. He was pretty anonymous against United and the way Spurs set up in the second half clearly didn’t help him. Kane only had one shot in the whole game which was a blocked free kick in the 87th minute and it was very unlike Kane to only have that one effort. I expect Kane to come out against West Ham all guns blazing and to get on the score sheet.
Tottenham to get a clean sheet
The last bet in this game that I’m going to look at is Spurs to keep a clean sheet, I am putting all my eggs in one basket here and banking on a solid Spurs performance. I just really do not rate this West Ham team and it seems nothing has changed since the break as they were dire against Wolves. They are, of course, fighting relegation, but I don’t think they are good enough to get anything from this match, especially against a Spurs team who badly need this win.
Tips for Tottenham against West Ham in summary
Spurs to win
Harry Kane to score first
Spurs to keep a clean sheet
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