On Saturday, at 12:30 pm, West Ham United visit Tottenham in the first match of the 13th round of the Premier League. On the Spurs bench will be the Portuguese premiere Jose Mourinho, who took over the post from Mauricio Pochettino, who ended his adventure in London after 5 years. It is a duel in which both groups will work hard to enter the rival gate.
Tottenham does not have Lloris, Vertonghen and Lamela injured, and Mourinho will definitely put a great emphasis on defensive organization in this duel. West Ham are missing Fabianski, Lanzini, Antonio and Wilshere, very important players for Manuel Pellegrini’s gear. As a result, we expect a precocious reply from the “hammers”.
West Ham is 16th in England (14-20 goalscoring), with four failures in the last five stages, but neither Spurs are convincing. After playing the UCL final last season, the white-blue team is now 14th in the standings (18-17 goalscoring), and Kane, Alli or Eriksen’s presence on the field no longer guarantees Tottenham points. The weekend guests have 3 draws in the last 4 stages.
Tottenham come after 1-1 with Sheffield United, Watford and Everton, but also after a painful 1-2 at Liverpool. The only rays of the last months came in the “double” with the Rosie Star Belgrade, of the UEFA Champions League: 5-0 at home and 4-0 away. West Ham lost their recent matches to Crystal Palace (1-2), Everton (0-2), Newcastle (2-3) and Burnley (0-3), showing frightening defensive lightness! Moreover, the equalizer with Sheffield United (1-1) was obtained after a game without brilliance, and Manuel Pellegrini’s students had little reason to be optimistic before the weekend.
Considering that in 3 of the last four direct duels have registered less than three goals, we will bet again on a tight duel, supported by statistics. Remarkable is that the team that was a guest has won 4 of the previous 5 direct meetings, the balance being balanced: two successes for each camp. There are two groups with problems that will do their best not to collect.
PROBABLE TEAMS AT WEST HAM – TOTTENHAM:
West Ham United: Robert; Zabaleta, Balbuena, Diop, Cresswell; Rice, Noble; Yarmolenko, Anderson, Lanzini; Haller
Tottenham: Gazzaniga; Foyth, Sanchez, Alderweireld, Rose; Ndombele, Sissoko; Eriksen, Dele, Son; Kane
PREDICTION: Tottenham to win @ 1,78
