Tottenham vs West Ham prediction: ENGLAND: Premier League betting tips on match 2023-02-18 16:30.
After refusing to blame Tottenham’s key absences for their 1-0 UEFA Champions League (UCL) loss away to AC Milan during the week, manager Antonio Conte rejoined the list himself. The boss will remain home in Italy indefinitely to recover from gallbladder surgery whilst the team prepares for successive Premier League (PL) home London derbies. The squad should be in good hands under assistant Cristian Stellini, who took charge of their recent PL win against Manchester City during Conte’s initial absence.
Starting this round two points behind fourth-placed Newcastle whilst having played one extra PL match, Spurs certainly cannot afford a repeat of the draws they incurred against their next two opponents – West Ham United and Chelsea – during the seven-game unbeaten period (W5, D2) that opened their PL season. Yet, having won all five home PL games against clubs 12th or lower going into the round by an aggregate score of 17-6, Spurs’ case for victory here is strong.
Backed by what he described as a “really supportive” board, Hammers manager David Moyes appears to be beginning to emulate his heroics of 2017/18 when steering the team out of the relegation zone in his first season at the club. There’s a lot of work to do to stretch out the two-point buffer to the relegation zone they held during the week, but encouraging 1-1 draws against Newcastle and Chelsea suggest they have what it takes to beat the drop.
West Ham will need all the points they can get against Tottenham and Nottingham Forest in February, particularly with Moyes reportedly welcome at the club as long as he can continue delivering European football. Though admittedly a long-shot, that could still be achieved by winning the FA Cup or UEFA Europa Conference League, both competitions that Moyes will wish to focus on without sacrificing PL survival.
Players to watch: He may have struggled for goals this season, but Son Heung-min has historically excelled in this fixture racking up three goals across his last two personal home PL H2Hs. West Ham midfielder Lucas Paquetá has delivered goals in two of their last three PL away trips, and six of his last nine competitive goals for any club have been on the road.
Hot stat: All but one of West Ham’s seven PL away losses this season have been by a one-goal margin.