Bilic Previews Saturday's London Derby

West Ham United return to London Stadium tomorrow, as they face city rivals Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League’s early kick-off. 

West Ham and Spurs will continue their rivalry at London Stadium after the Hammers all but ended Mauricio Pocchetino’s title hopes last May with a 1-0 win, thanks to Manuel Lanzini’s second-half strike.

The Hammers will look to maintain their unbeaten streak at home, after winning their first game against Huddersfield 2-0, and booking their place in the next round of the Carabao Cup with a 3-0 victory over Bolton Wanderers in midweek.

Spurs are unbeaten in their last five games with three wins and two draws in all competitions, they enjoyed an emphatic 3-1 victory in the Champions League over German opponents Borussia Dortmund, their last Premier League victory was a 3-0 away win at Everton.

West Ham will be without James Collins (ankle), Pedro Obiang (muscle) and Lanzini (knee) but captain Mark Noble could return to league action, after leading the Hammers against Bolton.

“It is important to have Mark, he’s our skipper,” said manager Slaven Bilic.

“He’s the club captain, he’s responsible for a good atmosphere, shape, everything and discipline in the dressing room, on and off the pitch.

“It’s great to have him back in the team and where he fits, he’s a really good player and an important person and player.”

Summer signing Marko Arnautovic returned to the Hammers’ starting line-up in the Carabao Cup assisting Angelo Ogbonna and Diafro Sakho to give West Ham a 2-0 lead, the Austrian was looking for redemption after serving a three match ban.

Slaven Bilic could have a number of selection headaches after Tuesday night’s performance with Arnautovic in contention to start and youngster Declan Rice hoping to feature. 

 “It would be the best feeling ever to play,” said Rice. 

“You can only gain experience from playing against players like Kane, Alli and Eriksen and that’s what’s going to stand me in good stead.”

Spurs will be without midfield enforcer Victor Wanyama (knee), and Danny Rose (knee) and Erik Lamela (hip) are two long term absentees. 

West Ham will auction all match-worn shirts from the game against Spurs, in a bid to raise funds for the people directly affected by the catastrophic earthquake in Mexico. 

The appeal has been organised by Hammers’ Mexican striker Javier Hernandez and Porto star Miguel Layun, #YoXMexico will raise funds to help deliver food and supplies to those affected by the earthquake. 

 

 

 

 

 
Stakeholders
Partners