Tuesday night brings a London derby featuring two sides that are desperately fighting to stay about one critical cut-off line. From the north side of London, you have Tottenham Hotspur, who are six points out of the top four (but maybe only four points off UCL qualification, if Manchester City’s Euro ban is upheld).
Jose Mourinho still has work to do though just to even cement Europa League status however. From the east side of London, you have David Moyes trying to secure West Ham United’s safety in the top flight.
They’re in the final safety slot now, but only on tie-breaker status.
Team News for Both Sides
Forward Lucas Moura (head) is out of comission for the hosts while defender Juan Foyth (knee) is a doubt. The seldom used Troy Parrott (appendix) is also doubtful; ditto for the underrated full back Japhet Tanganga (back).
The good news is that Dele Alli can now return, having finished serving his suspension. Flipping over to the Hammers, expect Moyes to do some squad rotation, finally having the opportunity to do so here. West Ham has endured an injury ravaged season, but the long pause, on account of the pandemic, has done them well.
Michail Antonio, who has spent plenty of time on the shelf lately, is likely not to be risked here after having just played 90 minutes on the weekend.
West Ham United at Tottenham Hotspur FYIs
Kickoff: 8:15pm, Tuesday June 23, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London
Odds: Tottenham -145 West Ham +360 Draw +310
Records: Tottenham 11-9-10 West Ham 7-6-17
Form Guide: Tottenham DLDLL West Ham LLWLL
Starting XI Prediction for both sides: go to this link
Position in Premier League Table: Tottenham 42 points, 8th West Ham 27 points, 17th
Prediction: Tottenham 1, West Ham 0
Mourinho complained about how he felt robbed last time out, but at this point it’s just him “staying on brand.” Essentially, he got the result he deserved against his former team. Expect a similar game plan and effort here, but against a much weaker side, so he’ll get a W.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” regularly contributes to WGN TV, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Now and SB Nation.
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