Tottenham Hotspur Stadium will host what promises to be an intense and exciting London derby between two teams at opposite ends of the Premier League table.
However, recent weeks have led to the moods amongst supporters of both clubs not wholly reflecting their teams’ current league positions.
Tottenham, just one place below the highly coveted fourth spot, have suffered five defeats from their last ten league games, leaving them two points adrift of Newcastle, having played one game more than the Magpies.
Off the pitch, things are also not smooth sailing for tomorrow's hosts. Antonio Conte will be forced to forfeit his place on the Tottenham bench to assistant, Cristian Stellini, yet again. Conte's recovery from his recent gallbladder surgery is not proving to be a smooth one for the experienced Italian manager, who is forced to remain back home in Italy to recover.
Conte had been on the sideline for Spurs' last two games – a crushing defeat at Leicester and a 0-1 loss in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League round of 16 tie at AC Milan. So, perhaps, Stellini’s return might bring about a change of fortune – his last match in charge of the side resulted in a shock 1-0 win against Manchester City, at the start of this month.
Meanwhile, David Moyes’ West Ham team may be approaching this derby in a better mood. They are far from safe from the threat of relegation, but have been able to string together a good run of recent results.
Respectable draws against Newcastle and Chelsea have been the most recent exploits of a run which has produced only one defeat from seven fixtures across all competitions. The Hammers still have plenty of work to do over the course of their league campaign, being just two points ahead of 18th place.
West Ham will also have the knockout rounds of the UEFA Europa Conference League to focus on – a potential route towards a third consecutive season of European football. Moyes and his players will await the draw for the round of 16, which will be made on Friday, following the completion of the play-off round of the competition.
For now, as with Tottenham, all attention will remain on domestic matters and earning a positive result in this intriguing London derby.
Team News
Tottenham
The long-term absence of Rodrigo Bentancur – a damaging consequence of Tottenham’s miserable trip to Leicester – will mean a big midfield miss for Tottenham.
One of Pape Sarr or Oliver Skipp – the midweek midfield pair – should partner Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, who was suspended for the defeat at Milan.
Richarlison may be in contention to come into the XI, whether that would be in the place of either Dejan Kulusevski or Heung-min Son, or if Stellini/Conte opt for an unexpected change in formation.
Hugo Lloris, Ryan Sessegnon and Yves Bissouma remain alongside Bentancur on the injury list.
West Ham
Improved recent performances suggest that not a great deal of changes should be expected from the visitors. However, a few injury concerns are very much present to disrupt this theory.
Lucas Paqueta was forced off due to a shoulder injury early on during last week’s draw against Chelsea. Should the Brazilian be unable to recover, Tomas Soucek will provide a combative presence in midfield, as he did last weekend.
Nayef Aguerd was another enforced change towards the end of that game. Like Paqueta, he seems to have a chance of being able to recover and start tomorrow.
Said Benrahma’s place may also be under threat. Pablo Fornals could take the Algerian’s place in the XI, providing Moyes with some more out-of-possession stability.
Michail Antonio’s positive performance in last week’s London derby should ensure another starting spot for this one, forcing winter signing, Danny Ings, to have to settle for another substitute cameo.
Alphonse Areola, Kurt Zouma, Gianluca Scamacca and forgotten man, Maxwel Cornet, are all out of contention.
Predicted Lineups
Tottenham
(3-4-3) Forster; Romero, Dier, Davies; Porro, Hojbjerg, Sarr, Perisic; Richarlison, Son, Kane.
West Ham
(3-4-3) Fabianski; Kehrer, Ogbonna, Aguerd; Coufal, Rice, Soucek, Emerson; Bowen, Fornals, Antonio.
Key Players
Tottenham - Harry Kane
Kane's recently achieved landmark total of 200 Premier League goals speaks for itself regarding the class that the 29-year-old brings to his team.
17 goals from 23 league games this season represents another brilliant campaign from Kane – a player who has particularly enjoyed contests against West Ham over the years.
However, with the Hammers able to blunt the goalscoring danger of Kane in recent seasons, Tottenham's main man will be aiming to break a streak of five games without a goal against them.
West Ham - Declan Rice
From one clear team leader to another, Rice's midfield presence has been crucial in West Ham's most recent successful seasons.
Even with his team struggling this campaign, the England international has very rarely been off of his very highly-set standards.
With plenty of speculation regarding where he may be playing his football from next season, for the time being, Rice's focus is expected to remain on ensuring positive results for his team, especially with the potential of a European trophy still on the cards.
Match Details
Where is the game being played?
The state-of-the-art Tottenham Hotspur Stadium will host this London derby.
What time is kick-off?
The match is scheduled for the late Sunday slot – a 16:30 GMT kick-off.
How can I watch?
Live coverage will be provided on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League for viewers within the U.K.
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