As the 2016/17 Premier League draws to an exciting close, there’s still games to be played and points to be won and the visitors, Tottenham, have still got everything to play for. In one of very few Friday night football matches, Tottenham will be looking to keep the pressure on the league leaders, Chelsea, as they make the short trip across London to face a West Ham side who have very little left to play for. Spurs sit 2^nd, 4 points behind Chelsea while West Ham are 15^th with 7 points separating them from the drop zone.

STATS

• West Ham have been completely average in their last 5 games; with 3 draws, 1 win and 1 loss. While this isn’t a bad record for a team with little to play for, it has seen them slide down the table quite quickly. Their last 2 results have been 0-0 draws, showing the mentality of the side at this late stage.
• Spurs have been brilliant recently and have taken all 3 points from each of their last 9 games, showing exactly why they should be 2^nd in the league table. In their last game they eased past arch rivals, Arsenal, meaning they will finish above their neighbours for the first time in 22 years.
• After a run of injuries for Andy Carroll, West Ham have struggled to find a reliable goal scorer and they don’t have any players in double figures for league goals. Michail Antonio is their top league goal scorer with 9 goals.
• There’s no surprise to see that Harry Kane has been Spurs’ top scorer this season and his 21 goals leave him just 3 goals away from Romelu Lukaku in the race for the golden boot. He’ll be expecting to add to that on Friday night.

HEAD TO HEAD

The last 6 meetings between the two sides have been pretty even as Tottenham have won 3, West Ham have won 2 and there has been 1 draw. The last meeting in November ended with Spurs winning 3-2. Both teams have scored on 3 of the 5 occasions.

WEST HAM NEWS

Even though they are pretty much safe in the Premier League, it would still be a good thing for the Hammers to get to the magic 40-point mark with a victory over Tottenham. It would also bring some security to Slavan Bilic’s job which is under major scrutiny. But with several absences they might struggle. Andy Carroll and Michail Antonio are the main two on the injury table and they won’t return for the last few games.

Latest matches: West Ham United

29.04.2017	Prem	Stoke City	West Ham United	0:0	D
22.04.2017	Prem	West Ham United	Everton FC	0:0	D
15.04.2017	Prem	Sunderland AFC	West Ham United	2:2	D
08.04.2017	Prem	West Ham United	Swansea City	1:0	W
05.04.2017	Prem	Arsenal FC	West Ham United	3:0	L

TOTTENHAM NEWS

Spurs look just like they’ll keep the pressure on Chelsea with a win in this tie and with no new injuries, their well-oiled engine will roll seamlessly onto their next game. Danny Rose is still out along with Erik Lamela, but they won’t be a problem for the North Londoners.

Latest matches: Tottenham Hotspur

30.04.2017	Prem	Tottenham Hotspur	Arsenal FC	2:0	W
26.04.2017	Prem	Crystal Palace	Tottenham Hotspur	0:1	W
22.04.2017	FA C	Chelsea FC	Tottenham Hotspur	4:2	L
15.04.2017	Prem	Tottenham Hotspur	Bournemouth AFC	4:0	W
08.04.2017	Prem	Tottenham Hotspur	Watford FC	4:0	W

SUMMING UP!

There’s absolutely no doubt that Tottenham go into this London derby as huge favourites. West Ham fans have given up with their side this season and as they’ve moved into their new, larger stadium I think this season has been written off in many ways. I fully expect a convincing Spurs win with no response from West Ham. It should be a good Friday evening if you’re a Tottenham fan.