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Soccer Betting Previews
EPL Betting Preview: Tottenham Hotspur vs West Ham United
December 7, 2023
Spurs renew their London rivalry with West Ham United as both sides are aiming to clinch three points when they clash at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Thursday night.
Ange Postecoglou's Spurs were already hammered by West Ham 3-2 in pre-season during their Asia-Pacific Tour.
All in all, Tottenham are unbeaten in their last four competitive meetings with West Ham, winning three of them. With that said, The Hammers will be looking to claim their first win over Spurs since October 2021 and first one at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium since April 2019.
Tottenham Hotspur Betting Preview (-135 at MyBookie)
Recognized as one of the great entertainers of the Premier League this season, Spurs are looking to claim their first win since another London derby - a 2-1 win at Crystal Palace in October.
Ange Postecoglou's side avoided a fourth consecutive defeat when Dejan Kulusevski's 90
th
-minute header rescued a point for Spurs on their visit to Manchester City last weekend.
To be honest, few had expected Tottenham to salvage anything from this game before kick-off. Since their chaotic 4-1 loss to bitter rivals Chelsea one month ago, when the North London outfit had two key-players sent off and lost two more to nasty injuries, Ange Postecoglou’s side had also lost to Wolves and Aston Villa.
With Postecoglou vowing to persist with his bold risk and reward tactics - many envisaged a glut of Man City goals. Instead, the Sky Blues got an unpleasant surprise. Spurs did stay true to Postecoglou’s attacking style and his principles but they played smart, too, and they eventually got their rewards.
Cristian Romero served his three-game suspension as the Argentine defender was shown a straight red card against Chelsea last month.
With Eric Dier, Micky van de Ven, and youngster Ashley Phillips all sidelined for Spurs, Romero remains their only recognized center-back and his comeback is a massive boost for Postecoglou.
Tottenham's Premier League home game against West Ham on Thursday could come too soon for midfielder Pape Matar Sarr. A key player for Spurs so far this season, the Senegalese has not featured at all since returning from the international break injured.
The good news is that Sarr already resumed training with the rest of the first-team members at Hotspur Way but it could potentially be Sunday against Newcastle when he does make his return to the pitch.
Giovani Lo Celso and Dejan Kulusevski have stepped up in his absence, with both players on the scoresheet during Sunday's 3-3 draw at Manchester City.
Son Heung-min scored his 9
th
goal of the season but the South Korean ace bizarrely scored at both ends in the opening nine minutes.
Postecoglou remains without the likes of Alfie Whiteman, Micky van de Ven, Ryan Sessegnon, Ivan Perisic, Ashley Phillips, Rodrigo Bentancur, Manor Solomon and playmaker James Maddison, who are all injured.
The latest victim to join Tottenham's injury list was Eric Dier. He felt sore in training ahead of Sunday's clash with Manchester City and was not available to be part of the traveling party as Postecoglou revealed that Dier is yet to resume first-team training.
The Spurs boss does, however, has Richarlison back at his disposal after the Brazilian forward came off the bench at the Etihad Stadium just 24 days after undergoing groin surgery. He was brought on as a late substitute and this won't change so soon.
West Ham United Betting Preview (+315 at MyBookie)
The East London outfit sit 9
th
in the table, four points behind Brighton in eighth but with a game in hand following the Seagulls' 2-1 win over Brentford on Wednesday.
David Moyes' side suffered three consecutive defeats in the Premier League on the eve of last month's international break. However, they got back on track with a 3-2 home win over Nottingham Forest just before the break and picked up where they left off with a 2-1 win at Burnley after that.
After four straight victories across all competitions, The Hammers were held to a 1-1 draw against Crystal Palace at the London Stadium last weekend.
West Ham will stay in London for a while - until their Carabao Cup quarter-final tie at Liverpool on 20 December. They play three capital rivals within the week as they are also set to make the trip to West London to face Fulham on Sunday before a first-place decider with Bundesliga side Freiburg at home in the Europa League next week.
Michail Antonio remains sidelined for West Ham as the Jamaica forward continues to recover from a knee injury, while it remains to be seen whether Kurt Zouma will feature in midweek. The Frenchman's home was burgled last weekend, forcing him to miss Sunday's derby against Crystal Palace.
The Hammers were boosted by the return of top scorer Jarrod Bowen against Crystal Palace. With eight goals in 13 top-flight appearances this term, the Englishman - who has scored in all six Premier League away games he had featured in - is expected to be the frontman in Antonio's absence, with Lucas Paqueta, Tomas Soucek and Mohammed Kudus the most favored trio to provide support in the final third.
Elsewhere, Zouma's potential absence could see former Arsenal defender Konstantinos Mavropanos keep his place at center-back alongside Nayef Aguerd, while summer signings James Ward-Prowse and Edson Alvarez should continue in the engine room.
Possible Starting Lineups of Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United
Tottenham Hotspur: Guglielmo Vicario - Destiny Udogie, Ben Davies, Cristian Romero, Pedro Porro - Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Yves Bissouma - Brennan Johnson, Giovani Lo Celso, Dejan Kulusevski - Son Heung-min. (4-2-3-1)
West Ham United: Alphonse Areola - Emerson, Nayef Aguerd, Kurt Zouma, Vladimir Coufal - James Ward-Prowse, Edson Alvarez - Lucas Paqueta, Tomas Soucek, Mohammed Kudus - Jarrod Bowen. (4-2-3-1)
Spooky Express Betting Prediction
Goals are pretty much a guarantee at both ends when Spurs step out onto the field, and such a theme should continue on Thursday night, but we simply cannot pick a clear winner for this London derby.
Spurs have scored in all of their games this season and given the fact that each of the last five games involving them have seen at least three goals scored, they are quite unpredictable under Big Ange.
West Ham, on the other hand, have found the net in 9 of their last 11 meetings with Spurs, so goals are to be expected at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in midweek.
Spooky Express Free Play: Over 3 Goals -130 at MyBookie for 8/10 Units
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