The background
West Ham United resume their Barclays Premier League campaign following the international break on Sunday when they make the short trip to Tottenham Hotspur.
The London derby represents an opportunity for Slaven Bilic’s men to get back to winning ways after a defeat to Watford and a draw against Everton in their last two matches.
The Hammers sit a lofty sixth in the table after the first 12 matches of the season, a place behind Sunday’s opponents, who like West Ham have 21 points.
Mauricio Pochettino’s side are undefeated since the opening day of the campaign, winning five and drawing six of their subsequent matches.
They drew 1-1 with Arsenal last time out, but won the two matches before – 5-1 at Bournemouth and 3-1 against Aston Villa at White Hart Lane.
With a UEFA Europa League campaign also on their radar, Spurs will be looking to make progress on a number of fronts this season.
Important information for supporters travelling to the game
With enhanced security checks taking place in and around the stadium on Snnday, supporters are urged to arrive earlier than usual to allow sufficient time to clear security – security will not be reduced in the event that queues form
Please try to avoid bringing bags with you and be extra vigilant and alert staff to anything unusual.
Tottenham Hotspur ask for your patience and understanding in this matter and thank you in advance for your co-operation.
The history
The Hammers and Tottenham have met on 201 occasions in their history, with that first meeting coming back in 1898 when West Ham were still Thames Ironworks.
That ended as a 3-0 win for Spurs and it is the north Londoners who have the advantage in the head-to-head record, having won 90 times to West Ham’s 60.
However, the Hammers have enjoyed a good run of results at Spurs’ White Hart Lane ground in recent years, winning 3-0 in the league and 2-1 in the Capital One Cup in the 2012/13 season, before drawing 2-2 there last term.
Senegalese duo Cheikhou Kouyate and Diafra Sakho looked to have given the visitors all three points, but late goals from Danny Rose and Harry Kane pegged Sam Allardyce’s men back and ensured the points would be shared.
The match
Team news
West Ham United
Diafra Sakho (thigh), Alex Song (ankle) and Pedro Obiang (thigh) have all recovered from their injuries and are available for selection for the trip to White Hart Lane.
However, Dimitri Payet and Enner Valencia are both out after suffering ankle injuries in the Hammers’ last outing against Everton.
Tottenham Hotspur
Spurs forward Heung-Min Son could make his first start for the north Londoners in almost two months, coming in for the suspended Erik Lamela.
Andros Townsend may return for the hosts, but Nabil Bentaleb and Nacer Chadli are out.
Match info
- Sunday’s referee in Manchester’s Anthony Taylor, who has dished out 54 yellow and one red – to West Ham’s Adrian – cards in 14 matches this season. He will be assisted by Simon Long and Andy Garratt, with Roger East as the fourth official.
- West Ham have only lost once to Tottenham in their last five meetings (W3 D1).
- There have been three red cards in the last three Premier League meetings between the clubs.
- West Ham are enjoying their best-ever start to a Premier League season, with 21 points from their first 12 games.
- They have only lost one of their last nine league games (W5 D3).
- The Hammers have scored 12 away goals this season – a tally bettered only by Arsenal this term.
- Andy Carroll has scored in two of his three Premier League appearances for the Hammers against Tottenham.
- Three of Tottenham’s last four goals against the Hammers have been scored in the 90th minute or later.
- Tottenham can equal their Premier League record of 12 matches without defeat on Sunday.
- Harry Kane has scored five goals in his last three league matches, after a run of three in his previous 17.
Coverage, travel, ticketing and other info
- Tickets for this match have SOLD OUT.
- Hammers fans travelling to the game on Sunday should take note of some closures on the TfL network. Replacement buses will be running on the District line between Upminster and Aldgate East, with the Hammersmith & City line also affected. The London Overground line between Gospel Oak and Barking is also closed. Full information is available here.
- A chilly, but bright day is expected on Sunday. The temperature is only set to reach 5C (41F) at kick-off.
- If you’re not heading to the game, make sure you follow all the action on our digital channels. Our live match centre has audio commentary, live text updates, in-running stats and all the best photos, while you can get involved with the conversation on social using #TOTWHU