In Game Week Six of the 2017/2018 Premier League season, East London will play host to one of the classic London Derbies for the visit of Mauricio Pochettino’s Tottenham Hotspur.
We come into the tie off the back of Carabao Cup success in midweek over Bolton Wanderers and are unbeaten in three in all Competitions.
Whereas, the visitors scraped a late victory over a stern Barnsley Side to progress to Round Four this week and will be glad of an away Game after some dreadful form at Wembley this season.
When?
The tie is scheduled to kick-off at 12:30 PM GMT on Saturday 23 September, featuring as Sky Sports’ early Premier League Kick-Off.
Alternatively, BBC Radio 5 Live Sport will be covering the Game with Live Radio Commentary. However, if you can’t reach a Radio or a Television on Saturday lunchtime, you can follow live updates and all the action and reaction from Stratford on @MooreThanAClub on Twitter.
Where?
The tie will take place at our 66,000-seater London Stadium, a Ground which we only currently have access to 57,000 seats of due to violent clashes during home games with Watford and Chelsea last season.
Since moving to Stratford in summer 2016, we have endured turbulent times as poor form and crowd disturbance has marred the Stadium’s reputation.
To add to this, Bilic’s Boys were forced to play the first four Games of the season away from home due to Stratford hosting the 2017 World Athletics Championship.
On their one and only visit to E20 so far, Spurs tasted a damaging defeat last May, as a solitary second-half Manuel Lanzini strike effectively ended their pursuit of a first Premier League Title.
Team News:
Slaven Bilic is expected to have a close to fully fit Squad in time for the clash, as Edimilson Fernandes and Manuel Lanzini could return to Premier League action after lay-offs.
Meanwhile, Marko Arnautovic could be set to start his first League Game at The London Stadium after a Man of the Match performance against Bolton Wanderers. However, one man that certainly won’t be featuring is defender James Collins after his ankle injury at The Hawthorns, Pedro Obiang is also out.
Whereas Mauricio Pochettino will make the trip East without one player from every section of the pitch, as defender Danny Rose is sidelined with a knee injury, so too Victor Wanyama and Erik Lamela has a hip problem.
After fielding a mixed Xl against The Tykes, the likes of Toby Alderweireld, Christian Eriksen, and Harry Kane will all come back into the visitors’ Side with the stakes high in East London.
Form:
Over the history of the Game, West Ham United vs Tottenham Hotspur has always been one of the great rivalries and it remains that way today.
While 12 Miles of The City separate Spurs’ new White Hart Lane Ground and The London Stadium and both Clubs have other primary rivals, meetings in the past have mustered up anything from crowd violence to seven-goal thrillers.
Although Tottenham have the edge on the overall record with 93 wins to our 62, we have proved a “Bogey Team” of sorts to Pochettino’s men of late, dealing their Title challenge huge blows in each of the past two campaigns with a home double of 1-0 victories.
Furthermore, who could forget the incredible record of the 2013/2014 Season? A regular season in which we defeated The Lilywhites no less than three times in all competitions with a League double and an EFL Cup Quarter-Final triumph at The Lane.
No matter what the score-line is and who does triumph on Saturday, you can be sure of one thing, an electric atmosphere and a fixture to remember in Stratford.
The Opposition:
Tottenham Hotspur are a traditional London Club who, like Manchester City, have transformed from a mid-table Side to a League Title contender in the last 10 years.
However, Spurs’ rise hasn’t come from outlandish Foreign Talent, it has come from within by bringing Youth Players of outstanding quality through the ranks.
Gareth Bale, Harry Kane, Eric Dier and Danny Rose have all played for Tottenham’s Academy in recent years and in a young but successful First-Team in North London.
Despite being ridiculed by the world of Football for the way that they have ended the last two seasons, the Club have put together some outstanding Football in almost securing their first two Premier League Titles.
Another thing that Tottenham Hotspur boast is a rich history of Trophies with their collection including two UEFA Cups, eight FA Cups, four League Cups and two Division One Titles.
This season, all of the North London Club’s home fixtures are being played at the Home of English National Football, the 90,000 Capacity Wembley Stadium, a Ground in which they are still yet to win a home Game.
Pochettino’s men have made a relatively impressive start to their 2017/2018 campaign, as they sit in fifth place with eight points, meanwhile getting their Champions League challenge off to a winning start over Borussia Dortmund in West London last week.
Who Is Officiating?
Highly reputable FIFA Referee Michael Oliver will take charge on Saturday, his Assistants will be Simon Bennett and Stuart Burt, with Andre Marriner playing the role of Fourth Official.
So, will all of Saturday’s scintillating action well and truly previewed, who will triumph in one of the oldest Premier League Derbies? Can we make it two in a row over Spurs and four unbeaten in all Competitions? Or, will The Lilywhites gain revenge in Stratford?