Tottenham Hotspur will be bidding to return to fourth spot in the Premier League table when they head to the London Stadium on Tuesday evening to tackle West Ham United.
Spurs are currently fifth in the division, three points behind fourth-placed Aston Villa, while West Ham are seventh, four points from sixth-placed Manchester United, who have a game in hand.
Match preview
© Reuters
West Ham were 3-1 ahead against Newcastle United in the early stages of the second period on Saturday afternoon, but they then conceded three times in the final 13 minutes to lose 4-3 at St James' Park.
The Hammers are now on a three-game winless run in England's top flight, picking up just two points from the last available nine, which has left them seventh in the table, one point ahead of eighth-placed Newcastle and four behind sixth-placed Man United, who have a game in hand.
David Moyes's side now have back-to-back league games against Tottenham and Wolverhampton Wanderers before heading to Bayer Leverkusen for the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final on April 11.
West Ham have picked up 24 points from their 15 home league matches this season, suffering just three defeats in the process, and they will be welcoming a Tottenham outfit that have only won six of their 14 away league fixtures during the 2023-24 campaign.
The Hammers are looking to do a league double over Tottenham, having recorded a 2-1 victory in North London earlier this season, but the points were shared in a 1-1 draw when the two teams locked horns at the London Stadium in the corresponding match last term.
© Reuters
Tottenham, meanwhile, will enter the contest off the back of a last-gasp victory over Luton Town on Saturday afternoon, with Son Heung-min netting the winner in the 86th minute.
Luton led 1-0 in the early stages of the contest at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, but it became 1-1 early in the second period, before Son scored a late winner for Ange Postecoglou's side, who have picked up 56 points from their 29 league matches this season.
Spurs are fifth in the table, eight points clear of sixth-placed Man United, while they are three points behind fourth-placed Villa with a game in hand; a three-goal success on Tuesday would be enough to move the North London side back into the top four ahead of Villa's game with Manchester City on Wednesday.
Tottenham lost 3-0 at Fulham in their last away match before the international break, and it is difficult to know what to expect from the team on a game-to-game basis, as Luton were unfortunate on Saturday.
Postecoglou's team have no FA Cup or European action to think about in the closing months of the season, allowing them to fully focus on the league, and with fifth likely to be enough to secure Champions League football for next term, they will be looking to hold off the challenge from Man United.
Team News
© Reuters
West Ham are expected to be without the services of number one goalkeeper Alphonse Areola, who was forced off with a thigh problem against Newcastle, so Lukasz Fabianski is set to start.
Nayef Aguerd should be fit after missing out on Saturday, but there will again be no Edson Alvarez for the hosts, as the Mexican remains unavailable for selection due to a suspension.
Michail Antonio will start providing that he passes a late fitness test, and it could be the same XI, aside from the goalkeeper, that took to the field for the first whistle at St James' Park, with Tomas Soucek featuring alongside James Ward-Prowse in central midfield.
As for Tottenham, Ryan Sessegnon, Fraser Forster and Manor Solomon remain on the sidelines, but the North London outfit did not suffer any fresh fitness problems against Luton.
There are likely to be changes from Saturday's match, with Brennan Johnson in line for a start, which could mean that Dejan Kulusevski drops to the bench, while fit-again duo Richarlison and Micky van de Ven are likely to replace Timo Werner and Radu Dragusin in the XI.
Rodrigo Bentancur is also an option to come into the side, with Postecoglou's injury problems easing, but James Maddison will again be a certain starter in the number 10 position.
West Ham United possible starting lineup:
Fabianski; Coufal, Mavropanos, Zouma, Emerson; Ward-Prowse, Soucek; Bowen, Paqueta, Kudus; Antonio
Tottenham Hotspur possible starting lineup:
Vicario; Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Udogie; Sarr, Bissouma; Johnson, Maddison, Son; Richarlison
We say: West Ham United 1-1 Tottenham Hotspur
West Ham will be determined to bounce back from their late defeat at Newcastle, and they will be desperate to inflict some damage on Tottenham in the London derby. This is a match that could go either way, but we are expecting the points to be shared in a low-scoring draw at the London Stadium.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Matt Law
