Mark Lawrenson predicts West Ham United result with Tottenham in a mess
Mark Lawrenson has backed West Ham to go to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and record a crucial win in their London derby at the weekend.
Despite respective seasons that have largely been played out at opposite ends of the Premier League table, David Moyes finally has the Hammers showing some signs of recovery, while Spurs in disarray.
The much-needed win over Everton on 21 January has since led to another victory in the FA Cup and back-to-back 1-1 draws with Newcastle and Chelsea, but Lawrenson believes it will be one better across the capital on Sunday (19 February) with a 2-1 away win.
The former Liverpool defender said in his Paddy Power predictions column: “Who knows which Tottenham team are going to turn up? The one in the Champions League had lots of changes and they could have lost more than 1-0 to AC Milan.
“Obviously they were thrashed by Leicester at the weekend so they’re in a bit of a mess at the moment. Antonio Conte’s been making eyes at Serie A again so it feels like he’s off at the end of the season.
“West Ham were outplayed by Chelsea in the first half on Saturday but managed to hang on in there. I just have a feeling West Ham will win here. Tottenham 1-2 West Ham.”
Green shoots
A win at Spurs would be hugely beneficial for a Hammers side that has failed to find any fluency all season but has at least discovered the fight to battle back from early deficits in the previous two outings.
Building on those draws with a win in a big derby game would help rebuild the faith in the current set up, after Moyes’ job came under serious pressure earlier this season from inside and outside.
With Conte set to miss the game as he continues his recovery from gallbladder surgery [BBC Sport, 16 February], the home side will again be without their authority figure in the technical area.
After the 1-0 over high-flying Manchester City on 5 February with the Italian at home they have been hammered 4-1 by Leicester and had to travel to Milan and back for another loss in the space of a week, so there certainly looks to be an opening for West Ham.
But it will still be a major test given the extensive injury issues that continue to plague this Hammers squad, which has helped disrupt momentum throughout the campaign.
Even with three points here it wouldn’t make a big difference to the position in the league table, but it would be a platform to build from where the Irons could climb through the places fast.
At the same time the picture could rapidly become very concerning with a couple of negative results, so taking this opportunity is crucial.