West Ham vs Tottenham Hotspur: Premier League team news and preview

Tottenham Hotspur take a trip to East London for the 35th matchday of the Premier League to face West Ham on Sunday afternoon, hoping to avoid a fourth successive league defeat.

Tottenham Hotspur are halfway to Bilbao after a 3-1 home victory over Bodo/Glimt on Thursday. With the second leg on the horizon next week, they first have one domestic task to handle – and it should be anything but a formality.

What time does West Ham v Tottenham kick off?

• Date: Sunday, 4 May 2025
• Time: 2:00 PM BST
• Venue: London Stadium, East London
• Referee: Michael Oliver
• VAR: Darren England

How both teams go into West Ham v Tottenham

Spurs head into this clash just two days after that electric European night at home, having beaten Bodo/Glimt 3-1 and carrying a 2-0 lead to the Arctic Circle. It could’ve been three, but a late goal conceded slightly dulled the dominance.

Domestically, the story is quite different. Tottenham have won just one of their last six league games, and that came against bottom-placed Southampton. The other five were all defeats. Before Thursday’s European success, they suffered a dismal 2-1 home loss to Nottingham Forest, followed by a 5-1 drubbing at Anfield despite scoring first. In all competitions, it’s two wins in five; the Europa League is keeping spirits afloat, if nothing else.

A very similar league story do their East London counterparts have with just one point separating the two. West Ham are the closest to Spurs in the table as things stand: Tottenham sit in the 16th position with 37 points and the Hammers in 17th with 36. They arrive on the back of a 3-2 loss to Brighton – ironically similar to how Spurs lost to them and a result that ended up saving Spurs from slipping into 17th themselves. Graham Potter’s side threw away the lead in the last minute of the game before conceding another in stoppage time. Had they held on, the two sides would’ve swapped places.

Winless in their last seven Premier League games (L4, D3), Graham Potter has failed to spark a turnaround since replacing Julen Lopetegui. Their last win came against 19th-placed Leicester, and they’re now two months without a league victory.

Head-to-head record

West Ham are unbeaten in their last four Premier League home games against Spurs (two wins, two draws). That is also their best streak since a run of six between 1995 and 2001.

However, the Hammers have managed only one win in their last seven encounters across all competitions.

Following their 4-1 victory in the reverse fixture, Tottenham are aiming to complete a league double over West Ham for the first time since the 2019–20 season. (BBC Sport)

Tottenham team news

Every single Spurs player gave 101% on Thursday. That extra one per cent might’ve cost them two fresh injuries- James Maddison and Dominic Solanke.

Ange Postecoglou also confirmed ahead of the clash against Bodo/Glimt that Lucas Bergvall is likely out for the season with an ankle injury suffered during training.

Dominic Solanke is “not too bad” but remains a doubt for this one.

James Maddison is “more of a concern” with a knee issue and has been sent for scans. More clarity on both of them and Heung-Min Son will come from Ange’s press conference later today. Radu Dragusin remain the other confirmed absentee alongside Bergvall.

West Ham team news

Evan Ferguson is available again after being ineligible to face his former club Brighton last week. Edson Alvarez could feature after a month out. Michail Antonio and Crysencio Summerville remain the only confirmed absentees.

Predicted Tottenham lineup

Vicario, Gray, Danso, Davies, Spence, Kulusevski, Bentancur, Sarr, Odobert, Richarlison, Tel

We expect changes at the back from Thursday’s game. Cristian Romero and Pedro Porro could retain their places over Davies and Gray though.

The odds of Maddison starting are almost zero as Ange will prefer to keep him for the second leg if available. Micky van de Ven was seen holding his hamstring/calf for a while in the first leg, though he got through the game and nothing about that was mentioned by Ange.

Yves Bissouma was immense against Bodo/Glimt, silencing critics of Ange’s selection. Either he or Rodrigo Bentancur will retain their spot, likely the Uruguayan.

Richarlison was subbed off at halftime, possibly to save him for this one. However, with Solanke doubtful, Ange may reconsider and rest the Brazilian, keeping him for the second leg instead.

If Son is fit, he starts. Expect a front three of Son, Tel, and Odobert in that case. No news on Timo Werner yet but personally, I’d love to see him get a second chance before he leaves in the summer (very unlikely). If Mikey Moore starts, that alone should lift spirits regardless of the result.

Players to watch out for

Djed Spence: You can’t help but feel sorry for him. No fault of his own, yet he’s lost his starting spot in important fixtures. After being overlooked by Thomas Tuchel at his peak, now he’s second choice under Ange too. That’s crushed his confidence, but he knows a strong showing here could shift perceptions massively.

Dejan Kulusevski: Remember the masterclass he put on in the reverse fixture? For as long as he’s on the pitch, expect him to torment West Ham’s three-man backline.

Jarrod Bowen: Possibly the only bright spark for West Ham this season; and that too might fade soon. Spurs have already made contact over signing him a few days ago. Should Spurs win the Europa League and secure Champions League football, it’s hard to see him turning that down. He’ll be looking to build on his 17 goal contributions this season.

Aaron Wan-Bissaka: What a season he’s having. Statistically just two goal contributions, yet he boasts a 60.7% dribble success rate and 29 chances created already (FotMob). His duel with Kulusevski will be one to watch.

Our prediction

The Hammers have struggled to hold on to leads as seen throughout the season. They’ve also dropped 12 points from winning positions since Potter’s first league game.

They’re also just as ineffective when trailing. West Ham are yet to win a league fixture from behind this season, with five draws and sixteen losses in such scenarios.

As for Spurs, they’ve already hit rock bottom in the league. Nineteen defeats this season equals Spurs’ worst ever in a Premier League campaign. I don’t see it getting worse from here.

That said, Spurs are guaranteed a bottom-half finish for the first time since 2007–08, but they’ll want to avoid sinking to 17th. (BBC Sport)

Ange will surely rest his key stars for next week’s semi-final. However, the players given a chance here will be eager to impress. Given West Ham’s form, I’m backing a Spurs win.

Predicted score: West Ham 1-3 Tottenham Hotspur
Battle for 16th place. The stakes can’t get any lower!

COYS!

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