Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United meet again on Sunday in a London derby where the reverse fixture was truly epic. Back in October, Jose Mourinho’s Tottenham side raced out to a 3-0 lead, scoring their trifecta within the first 16 minutes.
Cruising towards what seemed like an easy three points, they held a clean sheet until the 82’ of the game, when West Ham’s Fabian Balbuena got the Irons on the board.
Tottenham Hotspur at West Ham United FYIs
Kick off: Sunday Feb 21, 2pm GMT, London Stadium
Team News: West Ham Tottenham
Starting XI Predictions: West Ham Tottenham
Odds: West Ham +160, Tottenham +170, Draw is +225.
PL Form Guide: West Ham WWWWL Tottenham LWLLL
PL Position: West Ham 5th, 42 points Tottenham 9th, 36 points
Then a Davinson Sanchez own goal put the Hammers within one at the 85.’ An extra time equalizer was provided by Manuel Lanzini on the very last kick of the game.
Mourinho and Spurs had dropped two points in stoppage time, having to settle for a 3-3 draw.
Could we have entertainment and drama at that level once again?
There is a lot at stake here, as these are two of several sides with legitimate designs on a top four finish.
West Ham Team News
David Moyes could have central forward Michail Antonio, suffering from fatigue, back match fit for this one. Fabian Balbuena faces a late fitness test, as it’s thought he’ll recover from a calf strain in time to feature here.
However, this match could come too soon for stellar Italian defender back Angelo Ogbonna (ankle sprain) and Andriy Yarmolenko (knee issue).
West Ham United Starting XI Prediction vs Tottenham Hotspur
Fabianski, Cresswell, Fredericks, Dawson, Coufal; Rice, Soucek; Benrahma, Lingard, Bowen; Antonio
Prediction: West Ham United 3, Tottenham Hotspur 2
Look for the Chosen One to best Special One in this battle of former Manchester United managers.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank, 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,” has regularly appeared in WGN, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Tribune and SB Nation. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram.