Tottenham get back down to business in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon (4.30pm), and they’ll so do with a home game against West Ham. Both teams go in search of wins after failing to get the job done last time out, but can either get the desired result? Check out this THFC vs WHU preview with betting tips.
Spurs’ form once again took a turn for the worse in the week, as they were downed by AC Milan on Italian soil. They were by no means outplayed, but a lack of offensive punch cost them, while they were perhaps a tad fortunate to concede just once on their way to losing. That is now two defeats in quick succession for Antonio Conte’s men.
Last time out in the Premier League, they were battered by a rampant Leicester City side, conceding four goals for the second time in less than a month. In a season of one step forward, two steps back, the Tottenham squad once again need to bounce back.
For the Hammers, there has been some progression of late. It has been steady at best, but it looks like David Moyes’ men are finally showing their true selves. They are now two points above the dreaded drop-zone thanks to a win against Everton and back-to-back draws against Newcastle and Chelsea.
They continue to struggle to get going offensively, scoring more than once in neither of their last two, but they are now at least keeping things much tighter.
Spurs’ offensive struggles
It seems strange to say for a team that contains offensive players such as Harry Kane, Heung-min Son, Dejan Kulusevski and Richarlison, but Conte’s men have often found it tough to impose themselves this term, especially in recent weeks. Even when they have got on the front foot and got at teams, their end-product has been poor. Take that home win against Manchester City for example, where they scored early and then wasted numerous counter-attacking opportunities, with either a poor final pass or a dismal finish to blame.
The hosts have scored more than once in just one of their last five games, which is a bit worrying given that they are undoubtedly a team pushing for the upper-reaches of the EPL, let alone a team that yearns for a trophy.
Even at home, they have not really turned in on in an offensive sense all that often. There have been times, of course, like when they scored four against Leeds, but Spurs have only scored more than once in one of their last six at home, while they have scored just once in their last three in front of a home crowd. That is a rather sizable problem.
West Ham tightening up
The Hammers are finally tightening up, which is why they have started to creep away from the bottom three. There is plenty of work still to be done, but the team in claret and blue have laid some solid foundations from which to build.
After drawing 2-2 to Leeds, Sunday’s visitors really needed to act defensively, and they have. They started by shutting out Brentford in the FA Cup, and although they followed up with a defeat to Wolves, they didn’t give too much away, conceding just a single goal. Since then, they have continued to concede a maximum of just one goal, allowing just two goals and keeping two clean sheets in their last four in all competitions.
Home teams on top
In recent times, this fixture has favoured whoever plays at home. Four of the last five renewals have gone the way of the hosting team, with both Spurs and West Ham picking up two wins during that time. There have been seven renewals of this fixture since the last away win, which came back in 2019 when Spurs won by three goals to two at the London Stadium. When the teams last met at this venue, Sunday’s hosts won by three goals to one.
Earlier in this campaign, the pair drew 1-1. Interestingly, both teams have scored in five of the last six meetings between the Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United.
Go for a lack of goals in the betting
At the current odds, ‘Under 2.5 Goals’ makes plenty of appeal. Goals are often scored when these two get down to it, but that doesn’t guarantee that this will be a high-scoring game. After all, they shared just two goals earlier in the season, while there is plenty to suggest that a relatively low-scoring game is slightly more likely than the early odds suggest.
As mentioned in this THFC vs WHUFC preview above, Spurs have not been prolific scorers in recent times, scoring more than once in just one of their last five Premier League games. They have scored just one goal in their last three at home. Moreover, their xG numbers have not been great either, producing an average of 1.18 in their last five league games. Such an average is not awful, but it is hardly menacing.
The Hammers have struggled for goals also, scoring just four goals in their last four EPL games, while their expected goals for numbers aren’t overly impressive either. In terms of xG for, Moyes’ men have averaged 1.12 in their last five away games, during which they have scored a total of four goals.
We also know that West Ham have lacked a goal-getter this season. Their top scorer is Jared Bowen, who has only netted four times. Said Benrahma has three, while Michail Antonio, Lucas Paqueta and Pablo Fornals have just six between them. January signing Danny Ings was brought in to bolster them up top but is yet to score in three appearances.
All things considered, taking the view that less than three goals will be scored when the pair clash in front of the Sky Sports cameras on Sunday may just pay at a decent price. So for the betting tips, we rely on one recommendation for this EPL match preview:
Bradley Gibbs is an experienced football writer. He is an expert analyst on Premier League, and all global football leagues & tournaments, for Just Bookies. Bradley has been published by many respected outlets, including USA Betting and the Racing & Football Outlook. He has also written betting strategy guides.