MATCH PREVIEW: West Ham United vs Tottenham Hotspur

“Sit down if you hate Tottenham...”

The Irons face off against the Spurs this weekend in one amazing fixture which already has seen the London Stadium show signs of turning into a fortress. It’s the first Derby of the season and it’s sure to be an amazing game. So let’s look at the finer details of this match.

Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images

There seems to be a sudden buzz for the Spurs game as it springs closer and closer to us all. In the last home game against Spurs, West Ham were crowned the winners through Manuel Lanzini and his strike, however we’ll be without Lanzini this weekend as he still recovers from his ongoing knee injury.

“Who’s a creative player who could fill that void left by Lanzini?” I hear you ask... Well, despite not seeing him perform in West Ham United’s 3-0 win over Bolton Wanderers, Nathan Holland has proven himself to be a very good attacking midfielder. Whether he can slot into a Central Attacking Midfield position remains to be seen, however it’d be an excellent opportunity for the young player to get some challenging game-time under his belt.

Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images

Another could be Sead Haksabanovic, our fifth summer signing from the recent Transfer Window. The 18-year old Attacking Midfielder was also featured in West Ham’s 3-0 win over Bolton from the beginning and from all accounts, was pretty good on the ball. If he’s called up to fill in for Lanzini, this could be a great way to see what the lad is made of, especially against an inform side like Tottenham Hotspur.

Biggest Threat: Harry Kane - Tottenham Hotspur

Photo by Steve Bardens/Getty Images

The Spurs number 10 is no stranger to getting goals against West Ham United, and once again could bag one or two this weekend. He was kept quiet by Swansea City last weekend as the Swans visited Wembley to take on Tottenham so he will be itching to bag a goal.

Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images

Biggest Threat: Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez - West Ham United

Hernandez is another player who hasn’t scored for a while, and must be due at least one soon. His pace and stealthiness could prove to be an invaluable asset as West Ham look to get the edge over Spurs yet again. His ability get in behind the defense of the opposition and slip past a keeper can definitely be an advantage this weekend, however with a keeper like Hugo Lloris in goal, it could more of a challenge to what Chicharito is used to.

Goalkeeper: Hugo Lloris - Tottenham Hotspur

Photo by Steve Bardens/Getty Images

With Lloris in goal against West Ham this weekend, it will be tougher to get the ball past him as he is a very good goalkeeper. Tottenham have a very good leader in Lloris and he will be able to command the box and line-up his defense the way he sees fit. But he can be beaten, as we saw last time we saw Spurs at our place.

It’ll be interesting to see how many attempts on-goal West Ham United make. However, it should be good nonetheless.

Goalkeeper: Joe Hart - West Ham United

Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images

Another player who we can guarantee will make the appearance for West Ham will be Joe Hart. The England keeper will surely have the opportunity to keep his clean sheet streak alive and well as he makes his first appearance against Spurs for West Ham.

With two clean sheets under his belt, he’ll be significantly tested, especially with Kane, Dele Alli and Fernando Llorente all operating for Spurs, but he’ll need to keep his cool, watch for the opposition and try to command his box as best as he can.

Manager: Mauricio Pochettino - Tottenham Hotspur

Photo by Steve Bardens/Getty Images

Mauricio Pochettino has openly suggested Spurs are too big to prioritize winning the Carabao Cup this campaign. With that being said, there are the reasons to agree with the Spurs boss as he has a point.

Currently, he has Champions League football to contend with as well as the Premier League to focus on as well. This comment doesn’t surprise me, but what does surprise me is the fact although Spurs haven’t won a League match at home, their points have come from away games, thus showing they’re going to be throwing everything they can at us. I guess it also doesn’t help knowing we can cause some serious issues for them as well, so don’t be surprised if they line up with 5 at the back.

Manager: Slaven Bilic - West Ham United

Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images

Slaven Bilic has had a few good games of late and it’s boosted morale at West Ham greatly. West Ham United’s last two games, prior to Bolton Wanderers, has yielded a 2-0 win over Huddersfield Town and a 0-0 draw against West Bromwich Albion which adds some positivity to the club, whereas the 3-0 win against Bolton has also helped Bilic’s chances of staying at West Ham United.

His biggest test will be against Tottenham Hotspur and I think anything less than a win could put a slight strain on his relationship with the Board and Chairmen as well as the fans, because let’s face it... This is Tottenham and it’s always good to give the Yids a bit of stick every now and then!!

Score Prediction:

I’m going to be bold here and say West Ham United will have another successful clash against Spurs. I don’t see it being a high-scoring game, but I do see West Ham winning by one goal.

Therefore, I foresee a West Ham win of 2 goals to Tottenham’s 1.

“Stand up if you love West Ham!”

---

To stay in touch with The Kiwi Hammer on Social Media, feel free to check us out!

Website: www.thekiwihammer.wordpress.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheKiwiHammer2016

Twitter: www.twitter.com/The_Kiwi_Hammer

www.twitter.com/EuroKiwi_Hammer