Chris Sutton drops ‘not convinced’ verdict in scoreline prediction for Tottenham v West Ham United
Chris Sutton has predicted West Ham will fall to defeat in a high-scoring game with Tottenham in this week’s Premier League meeting.
The Hammers make the short trip to Tottenham looking to improve on the 1-1 draw against fellow London rivals Crystal Palace at the weekend.
Spurs followed up a three-match losing run with a 3-3 draw at Manchester City last time out, but Sutton can see them returning to winning ways.
Predicting a 3-2 home win for BBC Sport [4 December], Sutton said: “This is a tricky game for Spurs because their manager Ange Postecoglou likes going toe to toe with teams and West Ham boss David Moyes just won’t let that happen.
“The Hammers beat Brighton in September with only 22% possession and they would obviously be very happy to try for a repeat of that here. They will defend very deep, and look to spring forward.
“There will come a time when Spurs blow away a team or two with the way that they play, but I am not convinced that will happen here. I do think they will beat West Ham, but I don’t think it will be a straightforward victory.”
Tactics must be spot on
To give Spurs their dues, they have been involved in some pretty entertaining matches this season – not least the six-goal draw with Man City.
Their 14 league matches this season have seen 48 goals scored – an average of 3.4 per game.
Spurs are an attack-minded side, whereas West Ham will happily sit back and look to hit their opponents on the counter.
The hope is that strategy pays off in North London on Thursday [6 December], but Moyes has to ensure the side is set out perfectly.
With the attacking talents available to him – Lucas Paqueta, Mohammed Kudus and Jarrod Bowen among them – Moyes has to take a more proactive approach to games.
Getting one over on Tottenham is always a great feeling, but there is every chance of being on the end of a big loss if the tactics are not spot on.
Should Moyes get it wrong, those boos heard at full-time against Crystal Palace will be considerably louder in the away end at Spurs.
In other West Ham news, a first-team regular now looks silly after comments he made last week.