Overview
Coach Graham Potter will be eager for a positive result to ease the wave of criticism, as West Ham enter the London derby with Tottenham.
His team just had their first win of the new season right before the international break, with Nottingham Forest crushing 3-0 away. Late goals from Jarrod Bowen, Lucas Paqueta and Callum Wilson - all coming after the 83rd minute - helped The Hammers complete their trip to City Ground.
Jarrod Bowen is in impressive form, contributing directly to 9 goals in the Premier League in his last nine appearances (6 goals, 3 assists). Only Liverpool's Mohamed Salah (15 goals) has had a better record than Bowen (13 - 9 goals, 4 assists) since Potter's first match in early February.
However, Potter understands that his side need to maintain this impressive form. West Ham have won just twice in a row in the Premier League since David Moyes left the club in February. Therefore, the challenge of maintaining stability is still huge.
Potter's opponent, Thomas Frank, will look for an opportunity to respond at the London Stadium. Bournemouth were the team that caused Tottenham's first defeat under him, with a 1-0 victory in the previous round.
Tottenham opened the season with a 3-0 win over Burnley, but overall, Frank's side are struggling against newly promoted sides. They have lost 17 of their last 23 Premier League meetings with these sides (W3 D3).
After a 2-0 win at the Etihad in the second round, Frank will aim to become the third Spurs manager to win his first two Premier League away games. His two predecessors who achieved this feat were Ossie Ardiles (1993-1994) and Tim Sherwood (2013-2014). However, Frank still has to improve his form in derbies to be on par with them.
Tottenham have clear problems in the London derbies. They have lost 10 of their last 16 Premier League meetings with the same-city sides (W3 D3) and have kept just one clean sheet in their last 21 derbies. That included a 2-0 win over Brentford in February, when Frank was in charge of the team.
In terms of personnel, George Earthy could recover in time to play for West Ham, while Luis Guilherme is absent due to a shoulder injury. Niclas Fullkrug is expected to be out until the end of September due to calf strain.
On Tottenham's side, Dominic Solanke and Yves Bissouma could return, but James Maddison, Radu Dragusin and Dejan Kulusevski will still be absent for a long time.
Frank could give Xavi Simons and Randal Kolo Muani a chance to debut. These are two new players added at the end of the transfer window, while Mohammed Kudus is likely to start when meeting his former team again.
Head-to-head record
The last three Premier League meetings between the two sides at West Ham have ended 1-1.
Tottenham are winless in their last five visits to the London Stadium (D3 L2), since a 3-2 win in November 2019 under manager Jose Mourinho.
Although Spurs have difficulty at this stadium, West Ham is not much better. They have won just one of their last seven Premier League games against Tottenham (D3 L3).
The 2-1 away win in December 2023 was the last time West Ham beat Spurs. Goals from Bowen and James Ward-Prowse helped The Hammers turn the tables after Cristian Romero's opening goal.
Score prediction: West Ham 1-1 Tottenham
The match between West Ham and Tottenham takes place at 11:30 p.m. on September 12 (Vietnam time).
