Tottenham Hotspur vs West Ham United

Tottenham Hotspur Stadium forms the backdrop for an all-London Premier League showdown between Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United.

Tottenham Hotspur slumped to a woeful 1-0 loss at downtrodden Serie A champions AC Milan in midweek Champions League action, making it two defeats in a row after an abysmal 4-1 thumping at the hands of Leicester City last weekend. Left to rue an early opener at the King Power Stadium, ‘Spurs’ must now play catch-up on fourth-placed Newcastle United, with two points separating the sides at the start of this round. With manager Antonio Conte yet to recover from surgery, caretaker boss Cristian Stellini is hoping to help Tottenham avoid going winless in both seasonal matches against West Ham in the Premier League for only the second time in nine seasons. Despite recording just one shutout across their last ten top-flight H2Hs, ‘Spurs’ have only lost once in that span (W5, D3).

Meanwhile, West Ham United held cross-town rivals Chelsea to a 1-1 draw last time out, extending their unbeaten league streak to three games (W1, D2). However, having won just once in seven Premier League outings since the season resumed on Boxing Day (D3, L3), the ‘Hammers’ commence this round only two points clear of 18th-placed Everton. Anxiously looking over their shoulders, David Moyes’ men face the risk of losing six Premier League London derbies away from home for the first time since 2010. West Ham’s wayward away record of one win from 11 Premier League travels this season (D3, L7), including a nine-game winless streak on the road, only strengthens this prospect.