Tottenham will bid to return to winning ways when they take on West Ham in a London derby this week.
Spurs snapped a three-game losing streak after Dejan Kulusevski‘s last-gasp equaliser rescued a point in a six-goal thriller against champions Manchester City on Sunday.
Kulusevski channelled his inner-LeBron James when celebrating his late equaliserGetty
Ange Postecoglou had made an unrivalled start to life in the Premier League, claiming three successive Manager of the Month awards from August-October as Tottenham rocketed to the top of the table.
However, the club suffered a miserable November as the unavailability of several key stars saw them lose all three games last month.
Tottenham’s woes looked to continue at the Etihad before Kulusevski’s late goal earned them a point ahead of facing West Ham.
Spurs remain in fifth, four sports above the Hammers, who are languishing in ninth after picking up a point in a score draw with Crystal Palace on home turf.
Tottenham vs West Ham: Super Son
Tottenham losing Harry Kane in the summer sent the fans into crisis mode but Postecoglou had the perfect solution ready in waiting.
Spurs have more goals at this stage of the campaign than they did with Kane and a large part of that is due to Heung-min Son.
Son has shifted to centre-forward this term and already has nine to his name in the first 14 games of the season.
His latest came in the draw against City and he’ll be itching to make it double figures when he takes on his favoured opponents West Ham.
Postecoglou will be desperate for him to do so, with his side not suffering three successive top-flight home defeats since 2008.
Son has flourished in a central role this season
- Spurs’ Son Heung-min has been involved in eight goals in eight Premier League home games against West Ham (5 goals, 3 assists), scoring at least once in each of his last three against them at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
- Tottenham have lost their last two Premier League home games, as many as in their previous 13, with each of their last four league defeats at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium coming after they’d opened the scoring. They’ve not lost three in a row at home in the league since September 2008.
- West Ham haven’t kept a clean sheet in any of their last 11 Premier League away games, though they’ve also scored at least once in each of their last eight on the road in the league.
Tottenham vs West Ham: Team news
The hosts still have an extensive injury list, headlined by James Maddison and Micky van de Ven.
Rodrigo Bentancur, Pape Matar Sarr, Manor Solomon, Ivan Perisic, Ryan Sessegnon, Ashley Phillips and Alfie Whiteman remain sidelined.
Eric Dier is still a doubt but Cristian Romero is finally back available following a three-match suspension due to his red card last month.
West Ham are yet to confirm whether Kurt Zouma will be available after he missed Sunday’s 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace due to a break-in at his house the night before.
Michail Antonio also remains in the treatment room following a knee issue.
- Tottenham lost 4-1 against Chelsea in their last Premier League home London derby – they’ve not lost consecutive home league games against fellow London sides since November 2004 (2-3 v Charlton, 4-5 v Arsenal).
- Since becoming the first visiting team to win a Premier League game at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in April 2019, West Ham have lost three of their four league visits to Spurs (D1).
- Tottenham have won their last two Premier League home games against West Ham, last winning more consecutively against them between 2006 and 2009 (4).
Tottenham vs West Ham: What has been said?
Former Leicester star Maddison has given an update on his recovery from an ankle injury.
The midfielder was forced off before half-time in Spurs’ 4-1 defeat against Chelsea, with the side yet to win a game since.
Speaking to Ben Foster for Amazon Prime Video Sport, he said: “It’s healing well, it’s a bit of a slow burner which is obviously frustrating because like you said, I started the season so well. But it’s healing, slowly but surely.”
Foster then asked if a return would be on the cards in around six or seven week’s time, and Maddison said: “Yeah, something like that.”
- Jarrod Bowen has scored six goals in six Premier League away games this season, having netted just four in his first 69 on the road beforehand. The only West Ham players to score more away from home in a single Premier League campaign are Trevor Morley (7 in 1993-94) and Paulo Wanchope (7 in 1999-00).
- Tottenham have won just three of their last nine midweek (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday) Premier League home games (D2 L4), having won 14 of 15 such games prior to this run (D1).
- West Ham have lost nine of their last 10 away London derbies in the Premier League, with the exception being a 1-0 win at Fulham in April.
Tottenham vs West Ham: How to follow
This Premier League clash will take place on Thursday, December 7.
Kick-off at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is scheduled for 8:15pm.
The game will be broadcast live on Amazon Prime Video.
More details on the schedule and how to sign up can be found here.
talkSPORT will have live updates of all the action throughout the week, with talkSPORT.com on hand for all of the reaction.
