Tottenham Hotspur will return to Premier League duties this weekend. Thomas Frank & Co. will be taking that short trip to London Stadium this Saturday as they take on West Ham United.
It is one of the London derbies of the campaign, and winning these games is all-important to staking that white flag in the city.
But this game comes right after those massive big off-field changes at Hotspur Way. 63-year-old club chairman Daniel Levy announced his departure after almost 25 years in charge of proceedings at N17.
On the other side, West Ham had been under a lot of pressure after what were some unconvincing performances at the start of the season. But there is this new wave of energy that the Hammers have found after their first league win of the season. Graham Potter’s side had a convincing 3‑0 away win at Nottingham Forest before the international hiatus.
If we are speaking about the results in the last game week, the Lilywhites were on the other side of it against Bournemouth. And while that result hit hard after a sailing start to the new season under Thomas Frank, it also showed that there is still a long way to go for this roster.
The Hammers have been struggling at home games of late, given how they are without a win in the last six games at London Stadium, with three losses and three draws. And Graham Potter will want the fans behind his team, and that needs to start soon for them.
West Ham vs Tottenham Team News
West Ham United
Niclas Füllkrug will serve the sidelines for this game with a calf strain. He is not expected to feature for the Hammers again before the end of the month.
They made a new signing in Lukasz Fabianski. The former Arsenal man has been re-signed on a short‑term deal, and he is expected to provide cover. But his arrival doesn’t change the fact that Mads Hermansen is the first choice and is expected to start this weekend.
Callum Wilson should come in for Fullkrug up front, while Crysencio Summerville looked good off the bench in the last match, and he could get a start as well.
Tottenham Hotspur
James Maddison continues to be on the sidelines owing to his ACL injury, which is expected to keep him out for most of the new 2025/26 campaign. Dominic Solanke will again be a doubt, given his ankle problem.
Yves Bissouma picked up a training ground injury which put a halt to his move away from Tottenham. He will also be a major doubt and likely unavailable for the weekend.
Radu Dragusin is still recovering, but he is nowhere near game-ready just yet.
While for Tottenham, Xavi Simons is likely to make his first appearance in the Lilywhites’ colours after his marquee arrival to Hotspur Way.
Tactical Preview
We know how Graham Potter’s side likes to keep the ball and bait you into giving them spaces in the attacking zones. And that would be an interesting test for Thomas Frank’s side, given how the Dane coach prides himself on his structural integrity.
Moreover, given how both the teams have highly attacking fullbacks at their disposal, it would make those wide channels easily accessible on transitions.
For Frank, it is to be seen how he uses his wide players, whether he only has them carry it outward or does both, with the wide forwards coming inside from the outside (given how Kudus as well as Simons likes to do so). This is where Tottenham would be expected to create a lot of space (and chances) for themselves.
Predicted Lineups
West Ham United (4‑3‑3 / 4‑2‑3‑1)
Hermansen; Walker‑Peters, Mavropanos, Kilman, Diouf; Ward‑Prowse, Soucek; Paqueta, Fernandes, Summerville; Bowen
Tottenham Hotspur (4‑2‑3‑1)
Vicario; Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Spence; Palhinha, Bentancur; Kudus, Sarr, Simons; Richarlison
Prediction
While West Ham will be pumped with that big win over Nottingham Forest, it is the kind of momentum that Potter will want on display this weekend. But Tottenham under Frank have shown mettle complemented by the arrivals like Simons that can end up stretching defenders.
But given the Hammers’ struggles, this one should be a three-pointer for the visitors.
TTLB Prediction: West Ham 0 – 2 Tottenham
