Tottenham Hotspur v West Ham United: After a League Lift Against Local Rivals

by Matthew Harris · 17th February 2023

We might have mentioned this before but here at Lilywhite Towers, we tend to dread this game more than the North London Derby. The thing with the NLD is that we know, deep down, that it could go either way. Against West Ham, we really should be taking the three points.

In an attempt to be fair to the Hammers, David Moyes has taken them into Europe quite comfortably in recent years. The logical progression from there would have involved a challenge for Champions League places, but this season sees West Ham hovering above the relegation zone.

Can Spurs take advantage in this London derby or will our injuries and poor form hand the match to the happy Hammers?

Team News

Hugo Lloris continues to miss out, together with Rodrigo Bentancur who has kicked his last ball of the season. The latest news on Hugo sees him tentatively pencilled in for a return to the side in the game against Everton on April 1st.

Ryan Sessegnon and Yves Bissouma are also out and no suggested date for their return is in place as yet. Spurs have no suspensions and Pierre-Emile Hogberg will return to the squad following his Champions League ban in midweek.

The other confirmed absentee is the Spurs manager Antonio Conte. Following a post surgery check up, it was reported on Thursday that he would remain behind in Italy, so his deputy Cristian Stellini will be in charge.

Cristian Stellini

Match Odds

Tottenham will start as favourites for the three points in this game, thanks largely to perceived home advantage, together with West Ham’s precarious league position. You can back Spurs at 13/15 with VBet while the draw is the next available option at 14/5 with VBet and Unibet. Anyone looking to get behind the away win can find 11/4 with Quinnbet.

It’s not a good time to be running over our own form so what about that of Sunday’s visitors? West Ham United currently sit in 16th place in the table with 20 points from their opening 22 matches. They’ve pulled away from the drop zone in recent weeks, but form is still mixed with just six points from their most recent six games.

Certain teams will view a home game against the Hammers as a comfortable three points, but this is Spurs and we know not to get carried away.

Side Markets

He may have drawn a blank in his last two games, but it’s been a productive campaign for Harry Kane and he starts as the favourite to open the scoring on Sunday. Kane can be claimed at best odds of 17/5 with Unibet while Son Heung-Min follows at a top price of 13/2 with Quinnbet.

The bookmakers seem to like our new signing Arnaut Danjuma despite the fact that he’s not guaranteed a start. Danjuma is also available at those same best odds of 13/2 with Quinnbet while Richarlison is just behind at a top price of 15/2 with Quinnbet again.

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA – JULY 13: Richarlison of Tottenham Hotspur in action during the preseason friendly match between Tottenham Hotspur and Team K League at Seoul World Cup Stadium on July 13, 2022 in Seoul, South Korea. (Photo by Han Myung-Gu/Getty Images)

West Ham’s first option is their January signing Danny Ings who is quoted at a best of 17/2 with Unibet, while other picks from within the Spurs camp include Lucas Moura at 10/1 with Quinnbet, Dejan Kulusevski at 14/1 with Unibet, Ivan Perisic at 20/1 with Quinnbet and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg at 28/1 with Unibet.

Moving away from player betting, Both Teams to score can be claimed for this one at best odds of 4/5 with Unibet. Those who want to consider the ‘no’ option on BTTS can currently get 15/13 with 10Bet.

Next, we’ll take a look at the Total Combined Goals betting where a stake Over the 2.5 line will currently pay at best industry odds of 16/19 with VBet. If we push that one stage further to Over 3.5, we can claim a top price of 21/10 with VBet once again.

The alternative is to look for a quiet afternoon at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Under 2.5 goals might be the way to go if that’s your assessment and the odds for this stand at a best of 30/29, and that’s also with VBet.

We’ll sign off in our regular fashion with a look at some Correct Score options. For those that are keeping the faith, a repeat of last season’s 3-1 home win can be claimed at 14/1 with Coral and Quinnbet. A 2-1 victory in favour of the away side is on offer at 13/1 with Unibet, and we’ll finish with the 2-2 draw at 14/1 with BetFred.

Last Season

Recent games against West Ham haven’t always been comfortable, but last season’s corresponding fixture was a welcome exception. The scoreline shows that we won by three goals to one in a March game that came during a particularly productive run of form.

As Son Heung-Min homed in on his share of the Golden Boot trophy, he rounded the game off with a brace, but the deadlock had earlier been broken by a Kurt Zouma own goal on nine minutes.

Sonny doubled our lead before Said Benrama pulled one back before half time. It was a nervous second period that could have gone either way, but Sonny’s second on 88 minutes sealed the points.

Verdict

It’s always tough to make any clear predictions, but this current Spurs team takes things to a whole new level. If we were neutrals taking a look at those betting markets, we’d probably switch to another game.

After the highs of the 1-0 win over Manchester City, long term injuries and successive defeats to Leicester City and Inter Milan have brought us all back down to earth. Can the rollercoaster ascend once again on Sunday? Who can really answer that question with any great conviction?

While goals are never guaranteed, the two teams are known for producing entertaining encounters. We’ll therefore start with Both Teams to Score and 4/5 is a relatively generous price. Added to that is a stake on Over 3.5 goals which is relatively short this week at 21/10.

It could be entertaining for the neutrals, but we only really care about the result. A scrappy three points would be sufficient as Spurs look to get their season back on track.