Wembley Stadium will host a London derby on Thursday night as Tottenham Hotspur take on West Ham United in what could well be a full blooded, exciting encounter. Both of these sides come into the game with just 24 hours’ rest and that means tiredness could well creep in and cause some mistakes. Both of these sides will be desperate for a win to finish the notoriously difficult festive schedule in style, but West Ham know that it will be difficult against a strong Tottenham side.
Thursday, January 4th, 2018, 8:00PM – Wembley Stadium, London, England
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Draw Best Odd of: 5 at Betfair |
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Tottenham Hotspur
West Ham UnitedTottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur made it three wins in a row with their 2-0 win against Swansea City on Tuesday night. It wasn’t particularly pretty on a waterlogged pitch in torrential rain, but an offside goal from Fernando Llorente and a late goal from Dele Alli gifted Spurs all three points. Harry Kane started that game on the bench after suffering from illness over Christmas, but I expect him to start on Thursday night. Spurs may well make a number of changes for the game with the likes of Victor Wanyama, Moussa Sissoko, Harry Winks and Serge Aurier all expected to come into the starting line up along with Kane.
West Ham United
West Ham United sealed a last gasp, 2-1 win against bottom side West Bromwich Albion on Tuesday night after coming back from 1-0 down at half time. Andy Carroll scored his first goal in the 59th minute, before scoring the winner in the 94th minute; those goals were his first strikes since April and came at just the right time for the World Cup hopeful. The win moved West Ham further away from the relegation zone and David Moyes side are now in 16th place in the league, just four points off the top half of the table.
Talking Points
1. The last five matches between these two sides have seen a combined total of 30 yellow cards and one red card.
2. Only four of Tottenham’s ten home games this season have gone over 2.5 goals.
3. These two sides have already faced each other twice this season; with both teams winning one a piece, each by the same scoreline; 3-2.
Prediction
Even though West Ham United picked up a massive 2-1 victory against West Bromwich Albion in their last match, they were pretty poor. I’m expecting Spurs to make it four wins in a row and keep up the pressure on Liverpool above them with a win on Thursday night. Harry Kane should be healthy enough to start the game, and the England man has been on fire in recent weeks. Expect this to be a fiery encounter with plenty of full blooded tackles, just like a proper London derby!
Betting Tips (Coral)
Spurs start this game as big favourites at odds of 2/7, whilst an away victory for West Ham United is priced up at 10/1, with the draw available at 9/2. I don’t think there’s any value in betting on a straight Spurs victory in this one, so you’ve got to delve a little deeper to find value in the market. Tottenham to win and Under 2.5 goals to be scored at 14/5 looks like an excellent bet to me, especially when you consider that six of Spur’s ten home matches this season have contained less than 2.5 goals.
Tottenham to win and under 2.5 goals – 14/5 (Coral)