West Ham host Tottenham in a London derby this Saturday, with both sides looking to build momentum early in the season. Spurs come in with stronger recent form, while West Ham seek consistency after a mixed run of results.
West Ham under Graham Potter showed their threat with a 3-0 win at Nottingham Forest, though heavy defeats to Chelsea (1-5) and Wolves (2-3) underline their defensive frailties. Lucas Paquetá has been influential with two goals already, while Jarrod Bowen’s pace remains key to their counter-attacking threat at home.
Tottenham, under Thomas Frank, arrive with confidence after a 2-0 away win at Manchester City and a 3-0 victory over Burnley, though they slipped up at home to Bournemouth (0-1). Richarlison has started brightly with two goals and an assist in three games. Spurs will miss James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski, Dominic Solanke, Radu Dragusin, and Yves Bissouma this week, but their defensive structure and attacking fluidity have still looked strong.
West Ham will rely on Paquetá’s creativity and Bowen’s directness to cause problems, but Spurs’ current form and ability to control big games make them slight favourites heading into this derby.
Team picks