Alphonse Areola missing as Kurt Zouma returns – Confirmed West Ham United XI v Tottenham Hotspur
David Moyes has made two changes to his West Ham United lineup to face Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League on Thursday 7 December.
The West Ham United boss has axed Konstantinos Mavropanos from the starting XI with Kurt Zouma returning having missed the clash with Crystal Palace for personal reasons after a break into his house.
Alphonse Areola is missing from the entire matchday squad having started every single one of the Hammers’ opening 14 Premier League games and has been replaced by Lukasz Fabianski with Joseph Anand taking his place on the bench.
Keep the unbeaten run going
Both these teammates come into this clash off the back of a draw last time out, but they couldn’t have come in much more different circumstances. West Ham’s draw with Crystal Palace brought an end to their four-match winning run, while Tottenham ended a three-match losing streak with a draw against Manchester City.
Spurs will be heading into this match quietly confident after earning a point against the reigning Champions, but the Hammers have an excellent opportunity to get back to winning ways after a disappointing result against Palace.
Moyes’ low block could be difficult for Tottenham to break down and Spurs themselves are currently being ravaged by injuries. They are missing several key players, especially at the heart of defence and West Ham will be hoping to exploit that leaky backline.
No matter the result the Irons will keep their place in the top half of the Premier League, but if the Hammers have genuine ambitions of playing European football again next season, these are the sorts of games that can really make a difference.
Three points would massively lift the mood in East London and there is absolutely no reason that West Ham can’t cause an upset on Thursday night.
In other West Ham news, David Sullivan and Karren Brady are set to review Moyes’ position at the London Stadium towards the end of the season