Predicted West Ham XI: latest team and injury news vs Tottenham

Tonight West Ham United host Spurs at the London Stadium in the 19:45 London derby clash.

It’s been a tricky start to the season for the Hammers, having lost three of their four opening games in a run that sees them occupy 17th place with the same amount of points as Bournemouth who are in the relegation zone due to goal difference.

A combination of injury woes and Europa Conference League qualification games have certainly not helped their start to the season.

But with eight new signings and fresh off the back of a win against Aston Villa, David Moyes will be hoping to gather momentum against an unbeaten, aggressive Tottenham side, in what will be the first of a back-to-back test with two of London’s finest sides with, Chelsea to follow.

Team News

Taking to his side’s press conference on Tuesday, Moyes issued an update on his squad via whufc.com.

Asked on injury updates, the boss was rather coy: “Like anything else, when you play on a Sunday and have a midweek game it can take a bit out of you, so like everyone else we’re recovering.

The last two fixtures between these sides have seen three or more goals scored collectively, though the Hammers have been on the receiving end and have lost both games under Conte’s reign at Tottenham.

But Moyes will be hoping to put an end to this emerging pattern and has the chance to rectify a mistake that almost cost his side last time out against Aston Villa.

Moyes deployed a 3-4-2-1 system and witnessed the Hammers fail to have a shot attempt until the 42nd minute.

A switch back to the 4-2-3-1 for the second-half saved Moyes’ blushes as his team demonstrated greater threat in front of goal.

Both of the losses to Conte’s Spurs last season saw Moyes match up with the Italian in a 3-4-2-1 system that simply allowed Tottenham to play to their advantage.

So having witnessed a transformation when reverting back to the 4-2-3-1 system in-game, we would expect the Scotsman to revert to his tried and tested four-at-the-back set-up.

4-2-3-1:

Fabianski,
Coufal, Zouma, Kehrer, Emerson
Soucek, Rice,
Bowen, Fornals, Benrahma,
Antonio

Our predicted line-up features a system change that comes with three changes from the team that faced Villa last time out.

Michail Antonio comes in for Gianluca Scamacca, in what is a switch in style up top.

Ben Johnson, who picked up a knock last time out, is replaced by Vladimir Coufal

Aaron Cresswell, who functioned as a left-sided centre-back in the back-three, loses out to £58k-per-week “Algerian Wizard”, Said Benrahma in what is a result of the expected system change.