West Ham vs Tottenham Hotspur Prediction: Kudus to strike back?

West Ham United host London rivals Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League (17:30, Sky Sports Main Event) looking to pick up where they left off before the international break. The Hammers helped bring Nuno Espirito Santo’s reign at Nottingham Forest to an end with a 3-0 away win, while there’s also been a major departure at Tottenham, with Daniel Levy stepping down as chairman. 

Finally though, we can concentrate on the football again, and below you will find my West Ham vs Tottenham Hotspur predictions. 

Team News

Having finally got a good display out of his West Ham side, Graham Potter is unlikely to tweak things too much for this home test and should stick with the back four. He will likely be forced into at least one change to his starting XI however, as Niclas Fullkrug has a calf strain and faces a late assessment. 

Having scored off the bench, Callum Wilson should lead the line, while Mateus Fernandes and Crysencio Summerville will battle it out for a spot on the left, with Jarrod Bowen on the right. Lucas Paqueta’s celebration went down very well with the Hammers and he will start in midfield with Tomas Soucek and James Ward-Prowse. 

Igor Julio arrived on loan from Brighton & Hove Albion and could feature in defence, while Luis Guilherme remains out with a shoulder problem. 

Football Odds

Thomas Frank must choose whether to unleash new arrivals Randal Kolo Muani and Xavi Simons from the off, having lost 1-0 at home to Bournemouth last time out. Richarlison should hold onto the starting spot up top, with Dominic Solanke yet to start this season and still being treated with caution. 

What we can be fairly sure of is that the goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario will start behind a back four of Pedro Porro, Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven and, now England international, Djed Spence. Joao Palhinha, Rodrigo Bentancur and Pape Matar Sarr started in midfield last time out and although Lucas Bergvall is pushing for a start, he is likely to have to settle for a spot on the bench.

Today's Football Fixtures

West Ham vs Tottenham Hotspur Odds

West Ham are priced at 5/2 to win this home game, with Tottenham the favourites at 11/10. That gives the away team an implied win probability of 48%, while a draw is up at 13/5. 

BTTS is 4/6, over 2.5 goals is 4/5 and Kolo Muani and Richarlison are both 9/2 to score first. 

Tottenham to win @ 11/10

It might be a little bit boring, but I am going to pick the away side to win this game. I know they lost against Bournemouth before the international break, but I think they have plenty of quality throughout their squad and they’ve added attacking strength on deadline day. 

Spurs beat West Ham 4-1 at home last term and drew 1-1 at the London Stadium - so even under Ange Postecoglou in a season in which they finished 17th, West Ham couldn’t beat them. This is a big test for Frank, but they were so smart away at Manchester in that 2-0 win, and I think playing on the road may actually suit them more this term. 

I’m going to gently suggest that Potter’s 3-0 win at Forest was a flash in the pan, and I’m going to predict normal service to resume at the London Stadium on Saturday night. Away win.

Goal Builder - Mohammed Kudus to score first, right foot into bottom left corner @ 125/1

Betfred’s new Goal Builder is up and running for every televised Premier League match, and so I want to try and take advantage of some massive odds on offer. We love a good #narrative in the top flight, so how about this for a story. Mohammed Kudus - or Judas as he may be known by the home fans this weekend - hasn’t scored since swapping his claret shirt for a white one this summer. 

He’s been more of a creative force for Spurs, assisting two goals this term, but I feel he may be slightly more selfish upon hearing the boos at the London Stadium. I think Frank will start with Simons and Kolo Muani on the bench, giving Kudus the chance to strike against his former club. If he is to score, I can picture a right-footed strike into the bottom left corner, and a massive winner for us as a result.

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