If there's one game for any of Jarrod Bowen and James Maddison to fight for their place on the plane to Germany for England, this is it with Gareth Southgate set to be in the stands. (Photo credit: GOAL)
West Ham vs. TottenhamThe London Stadium8:15pm
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| If there's one game for any of Jarrod Bowen and James Maddison to fight for their place on the plane to Germany for England, this is it with Gareth Southgate set to be in the stands. (Photo credit: GOAL) |
Tottenham’s top-four push is well underway as we hit the home stretch of the league season. Their comeback win over Luton last weekend shows they’re ready to give it everything; they won’t stop.
A game away at the London Stadium is never an easy task. West Ham knows how to rattle Tottenham, and with European football on the line as the prize, both sides will make this pure entertainment for everyone watching.
The Hammers were dealt a heavy blow at the weekend by Newcastle United. David Moyes’ side led 3-1 into the second half but saw their two-goal lead wiped out by Harvey Barnes and Alexander Isak's heroics. It was a huge football lesson for David Moyes and his lads.
Tottenham has Aston Villa to contend with for the fourth spot, with Manchester United lurking behind them as well. Ange Postecoglou isn’t fazed by the Red Devils, and Spurs currently lie in fifth. Three points off Villa with a game in hand, it’s doable.
Had the Hammers run off winners at Newcastle, they’d be close to United; now they have to do it again to win and close the gap to one point. They will hope their home support can get them one over their London rivals.
In terms of form, West Ham have only one win in their last five. You can understand why fans are agitated, but they also return to Europe next week, where they will face Bayern Leverkusen in the quarterfinals of the Europa League.
Tottenham’s shock 3-0 loss to Fulham is the only real blemish in their last five games. The home loss to Wolves was damaging, but losing heavily at Craven Cottage right after beating Villa 4-0 was catastrophic. They must ensure they don’t let that happen as they hope to nick the fourth spot.
How will they line up? Expect free-flowing football from both sides. The high line at Spurs will be clinically exploited by Mohammed Kudus and Jarrod Bowen. The two combined intelligently to run the Newcastle midfield ragged, but they couldn’t close out with a win. That must change here.
Both sides are relatively good on the injury front; Alphonso Areola is the only injury doubt for this game, and you expect Lukas Fabianski to deputize well. James Maddison is one player to watch here; he creates beautifully for Heung Min Son and the rest of the Spurs forward line. We should enjoy this.