Tottenham Hotspur v West Ham United - All you need to know

All you need to know v Spurs

 

West Ham United continue their 2020/21 Premier League season with a short trip to north London to take on Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday afternoon.

Manager David Moyes returns to the touchline at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, having completed his period of self-isolation after being tested positive for COVID-19.

The fixture will be played without supporters present due to COVID-19 restrictions, but will be shown live in the UK by Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League, with kick-off at 4.30pm, and across the world by the Premier League’s international broadcast partners.

West Ham go into the game on the back of successive Premier League wins at home to Wolverhampton Wanderers (4-0) and away at Leicester City (3-0), and with striker Michail Antonio having scored in his last five away Premier League appearances. Only the Club's all-time leading marksman Vic Watson has scored in more away top-flight fixtures in succession, doing so in seven in a row between October 1931/January 1932.

Tottenham, meanwhile, start the weekend sixth in the early-season table after thrashing Manchester United 6-1 at Old Trafford before the international break. Captain Harry Kane has three goals and six assists to his name already, while Son Heung-min leads the Premier League scoring charts with six.

 

Team news

Issa Diop

 

West Ham United could include Craig Dawson in a matchday squad for the first time after he joined the Club during the international break from Championship side Watford. However, Said Benrahma did not complete his loan move from Brentford in time to be involved.

Issa Diop is also available again after also completing his period of self-isolation after testing positive for COVID-19 in September.

Arthur Masuaku is hoping to be fit after coming home from international duty with a minor knee injury, and Ryan Fredericks has returned to training after a hamstring problem.

For Tottenham, Gareth Bale could make his second 'debut' for the club after joining on loan from Real Madrid.

However, Eric Dier missed England's 1-0 UEFA Nations League defeat by Denmark on Wednesday with a hamstring complaint.

Attacking midfielder Giovani Lo Celso was forced to pull out of the Argentina squad with a thigh problem but is reported to be in with a chance of playing on Sunday.

 

The opposition - Tottenham Hotspur

Harry Kane

 

Tottenham Hotspur went into the international break full of confidence, having played and won three matches in three different competitions in six days.

First, Spurs knocked Chelsea out of the Carabao Cup on penalties, then thrashed Israeli side Maccabi Haifa 7-2 in the UEFA Europa League Play-Off round, before thumping Manchester United 6-1 at Old Trafford in the Premier League.

However, while Jose Mourinho's side have scored eleven goals in their two Premier League away matches this season, they have yet to win a top-flight game on home turf, losing 1-0 to Everton and drawing 1-1, controversially, with Newcastle United.

After qualifying for Europe on the final day of last season, Spurs refreshed their squad in the summer, bringing in Ireland right-back Matt Doherty from Wolverhampton Wanderers, Spain left-back Sergio Reguilón from Real Madrid, Denmark midfielder Pierre-Emile Højbjerg from Southampton, and England goalkeeper Joe Hart on a free transfer, in addition to the loan signings of former hero Gareth Bale and Brazilian forward Carlos Vinícius from Benfica.

Mourinho will hope the reinforcements, plus the likes of England's Harry Kane, Dele Alli and Harry Winks, South Korean Son Heung-min and Brazilian Lucas Moura will help Spurs end their 13-year wait for a major trophy.

 

Previous meetings

West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur have met 48 times in the Premier League, with Spurs winning 24 to the Hammers' 15, with nine draws.

The Irons did become the first visiting team to win at Tottenham's new stadium when Michail Antonio netted the only goal of the game in April 2019. Antonio has scored four goals in eight appearances for West Ham against Sunday's hosts.

West Ham have twice won away at Tottenham by a three-goal margin in the Premier League - a 4-1 victory in April 1994 and a 3-0 win in October 2013.

 

Match Officials

Referee Paul Tierney

 

Referee: Paul Tierney 
Assistant Referees: Dan Cook and Ian Hussin
Fourth Official: Robert Jones
VAR: Peter Bankes
Assistant VAR: Adam Nunn

Born in Wigan on Christmas Day 1980, Paul Tierney is affiliated to the Lancashire FA.

He joined the National Group of Referees in 2009, was promoted to the Select Group of Referees in 2016, and FIFA Group of Referees in 2018.

Tierney as the assistant referee for Chelsea’s FA Cup semi-final win over Arsenal at Wembley in April 2009 and took charge of the 2018/19 Championship Play-Off final, which saw Aston Villa overcome Derby County at Wembley Stadium.

He has refereed West Ham United on eight occasions, the first of which was a 1-1 Premier League draw with Everton at the Boleyn Ground in November 2015, and the most recent of which was the 1-1 draw at Manchester United in July this year.

 

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