West Ham United v Spurs: A Good Time to Hammer the Hammers

west ham unitedDepending on your general disposition and your specific frame of mind at the time, you either relish or dread this fixture. Away to West Ham – it’s great when we win but, along with the two regular Arsenal games, this is the one that we just don’t want to lose.

As with most matches between these two sides, this one is being televised. It’s the 12.30 kick off on Saturday at the London Stadium, fresh with its brand new carpet, so what can we look forward to?

Well, firstly, there are new faces in our dugout this weekend as Jose Mourinho takes charge of Spurs for the first time. A dramatic turn of events in midweek have left the former Chelsea, Manchester United and Real Madrid boss in charge but can he claim our first away league win since January at his first attempt?

Team News

We’re writing this review on Thursday morning, ahead of Mourinho’s first press conference at 2pm and among the mass media hype, he might just offer some confirmed team news. Prior to that, early reports confirm the absence of Jan Vertonghen, alongside long term absentee Hugo Lloris. Elsewhere, we have no updates as yet on Erik Lamela but other than that, there may be a clean bill of health.

That all sounds a bit wooly and it is but try finding some actual team news among the hype on Thursday morning! It will certainly be fascinating to see how Jose lines us up so just join us in ‘watching this space’.

Match Odds

Despite their patchy form and the fact that they are conceding home advantage, Spurs are favourites to pick up three points here. The away side can be backed at best industry odds of Even Money and that figure comes from both SportPesa and SportNation.

Victory for West Ham comes in at 11/4 with RedZone while the draw is only just behind at 47/16 with VBet.

Our form isn’t worth shouting about but the story of that market is down to West Ham’s recent run. In their last five matches, the Hammers have lost four games and picked up just one point in a 1-1 home draw with Sheffield United.

When two sides have fairly wretched form, it is tough to pick a result with any great confidence. West Ham will certainly feel that this is a good time to be playing us and they may well be right but let’s just hope we can win our first league game in five attempts this Saturday.

Other Side Bets

harry kane

Harry Kane

Harry Kane scored four times in two international matches last weekend and he remains the obvious choice to open the scoring. Harry can be claimed at best industry odds of 17/5 with Unibet and 888Sport and that puts him ahead of Son Heung-Min who is quoted at a top price of 23/4 with the same two bookmakers.

Lucas Moura is an option at a best of 6/1 with Unibet and 888Sport yet again but if you think that Troy Parrott will be thrown into action, the young Irishman is at a shorter price of 5/1 with Betway and SportPesa.

West Ham now get a mention through Sebastien Haller who is quoted at 6/1 with Unibet and 888Sport. Albian Ajeti is next at best odds of 17/2 with Unibet and 888Sport and then it’s back to Spurs with Dele Alli at a top price of 9/1 with BetFred. Predicting Jose’s first starting XI is a tough call but some outside picks might include Andriy Yarmolenko at 9/1 with Betway or Christian Eriksen at 10/1 with BetFred.

As for our other, regular side bets, Both Teams to Score is available for this game at best odds of 4/7 with SportNation and VBet. It’s short and with the Hammers failing to score in two of their last four games, you may want to take the ‘No’ vote at 27/20 with SportPesa.

For those expecting Jose’s defensive approach to be in evidence right away, Under 2.5 goals could be your option at odds of 7/5 with Coral and SportingBet. If you have more faith, you can go above that line and claim 4/7 with William Hill and SportNation.

As for Correct Score, a 1-0 win in favour of Spurs is quoted at best odds of 10/1 with 10Bet while the same outcome for the Hammers is at 16/1 with Coral and BetFred. This fixture usually delivers more than just a solitary strike but those may be profitable suggestions this time.

Dangerman

We’re not in the business of praising West Ham players but we still have a dangerman column to fill. We’ve seen that Sebastien Haller carries their shortest price in the goal scoring markets and, since joining up from Eintracht Frankfurt in the summer, the Frenchman has a reasonable return of four goals in ten league games.

Next up was Albian Ajeti but we think the man to watch is Andriy Yarmolenko. A reported transfer target for Spurs at one time, the Ukranian international is a threat from out wide and has a scoring ratio of one in four at his current club.

Head to Head

tottenhamThis long-standing fixture has produced 212 previous matches and it’s one where we have generally held the upper hand. Of those games, Spurs have won 96, West Ham have claimed 64 wins and there have been 52 draws.

Recently, it’s been a little mixed: Of the last nine, we’ve won four, they’ve won four and there has been one draw but as always, it’s all about the next game.

Verdict

Who knows what to expect from this match? Will the classic, new manager factor inspire some of the dissident Spurs players to raise their game and impress the new boss? Then there is the question of our style of play. There’s lots of talk about Mourinho and a new approach to the game but it may well be a case of safety first after our recent poor run.

We don’t necessarily buy into the suggestion that a dour period of football under Jose awaits but the reality for now is that we will just have to wait and see. Our picks for this match are, however, based on a low-scoring affair.

Neither team is in such good form that Both Teams to Score becomes a certainty so we’ll start by voting ‘no’ on that option and taking decent odds of 27/20. Under 2.5 goals could be the alternative here at 7/5 but we’ll stick with no on BTTS.

Elsewhere, we’ll take one of our occasional punts on the winning margin markets. There’s rarely much in this fixture and we can therefore claim a good price of 6/4 with Betway on either side to win it by one.

As for goalscorers, there are few players who can consider themselves to be certain starters but of those who are likely to be on the field at the first whistle, Dele Alli carries some strong prices. He’s hinted at a return to his best form and at 13/5 for an anytime goal with Coral, he promises some good value.

It’s a new era and it’s going to be fascinating but can Jose win over his doubters with an instant three points?

Best Bets:

  • Dele Alli to score anytime at 13/5 with Coral
  • Both Teams to Score – bet ‘NO’ at 27/20 with SportPesa
  • Winning Margin – One Goal on Either Side at 6/4 with Betway

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