12 Jun 2019
Christian Eriksen’s 89th-minute winner against Brighton on Tuesday could have ramifications for several clubs at both ends of the table.
Tottenham’s 1-0 win leaves Brighton three points clear of the relegation zone and Tottenham are now 1/14 to finish in the Premier League top four and all but certain of guaranteeing Champions League football next season.
A draw would have opened the door for Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal, who are all chasing a top four spot. With Spurs now firmly cemented in third spot, there appears to be just one place up for grabs.
Tottenham have lost four Premier League home games this season, one fewer than they had lost at home in their three previous seasons combined. Yet all bar two of them were at Wembley and they have yet to concede in three EPL games – and four in total – since moving back to their incredible Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. They have scored seven times without reply in those three games and are 4/9 to beat West Ham, and 6/4 to win to nil.
West Ham are in a poor run of form, having lost three on the spin before conceding a sloppy last-minute equaliser in a 2-2 draw at home to Leicester last weekend.
Manuel Pellegrini’s side have also been poor on the road. Their last away win came on December 27 and they have picked up just one point in eight road trips since, losing seven times.
They have also failed to score in six of those outings and it is 6/1 that the Hammers win and 13/10 that Tottenham keep a clean sheet – which they have managed to do in five of their last six competitive matches at home.
West Ham started the season with four straight defeats and there appeared plenty of lethargy within the squad. That lethargy appears to have returned, especially since they have spurned the chance of Europa League football next season.
Their aim is seventh place, but the Hammers currently sit in 11th place, seven points off of seventh-placed Watford with just three games remaining.
TEAM NEWS
Mauricio Pochettino will be tempted to rest some big names ahead of Tottenham’s Champions League semi-final first-leg tie against Ajax on Tuesday.
With Harry Kane already ruled out with an ankle injury, one player who will figure is Son Heung-Min, who is suspended for the Champions League first-leg tie. The South Korea international has scored four goals in his last six games in all competitions and he is 4/5 to score at any time against West Ham and 3/1 to score the first goal.
Son has scored eight times in 15 home appearances for Spurs and he is certainly becoming a thorn in West Ham’s side, having scored a brace in their 3-1 League Cup win at the London Stadium in October. That means he has been directly involved in five goals in his last three games in all competitions against the Hammers (three goals, two assists).
Son’s quick feet will be more than a match for a West Ham back line that has kept a clean sheet once in their last 13 games in all competitions, that coming in a 2-0 defeat of Newcastle in early March.
Indeed, the Hammers have conceded at least twice in each of their six subsequent games and it is 10/11 that Spurs win and over 2.5 total goals will be scored in the game.
West Ham could welcome back Carlos Sanchez, who has endured a frustrating maiden season since arriving from Fiorentina. He has been ruled out with a knee injury since West Ham demolished Macclesfield 8-0 in the League Cup back in September.
Jack Wilshere has also resumed training following a lengthy spell on the sidelines with an ankle injury.
HAMMERS TO STUN SPURS?
West Ham have not played badly in their last two outings. They lost five points in the last two games through two marginal offside decisions and a contentious penalty going against them in clashes with Manchester United and Leicester City. They dominated both games for long periods.
Their recent record against Spurs is also relatively good, with that League Cup defeat signalling their first consecutive loss to Spurs since February 2013. They have not lost three successive meetings with Tottenham since December 2009 and can be backed at 8/5 to either win or draw at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Spurs have won just three of their last nine meetings at home against the Hammers (D3 L3) and they have conceded at least one goal on each of the Hammers’ last eight visits. West Ham are 11/2 to win to nil and 4/7 to score at least once – and become the first visitors to net at Tottenham’s new stadium.
There have been just three draws in the last 24 meetings in all competitions and the draw is available at 15/4.
One player who will be desperate for a goal is Austrian striker Marko Arnautovic (above), who has not been on the scoreheet since netting in a 2-0 FA Cup third-round win over Birmingham City on January 5. He has been criticised by several pundits for not getting in the box enough but he is still a threat and at 23/10 to score at any time, might offer value to West Ham backers.
Seven of the last 10 meetings saw both sides score and it is 4/6 that both teams find the net again in the Saturday lunch-time clash, while the odds for Spurs to win but concede are 17/10.
To see all the odds on this clash, click here.
