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Saturday 19 March 2011

Tottenham vs West Ham United: Preview

Today, we see the in-form (before the Stoke match) West Ham United face European chasers Tottenham Hotspur. The Hammers played the home fixture in September, winning the game 1-0 due to a Piquionne header. Of course now, conditions have changed. Tottenham didn't have the influential force of Van Der Vaart and West Ham weren't looking over their shoulder at the relegation zone.

Tottenham fans have certainly been excited in recent days, their progression through to the quarter finals of the Champions League to face Real Madrid has given them a buzz. They have decided to drop Peter Crouch to the bench, deciding to go with pacey forwards Sandro and Defoe rather than use height. Spurs are without centre-backs Kaboul, Woodgate, King and possibly Gallas, who will have a fitness test before the match.

This clearly wasn't predicted by West Ham, who have replaced the youthful James Tomkins with a taller but slow Manuel Da Costa. Also, Avram Grant will be without Piquionne, who scored in the FA Cup Quarter Final loss against Stoke and was injured in the process. Ba will be back after being rested last week.

Possible Line Ups:

Spurs: Gomes, Bale, Gallas, Dawson, Corluka, Assou-Ekotto, Lennon, Van Der Vaart, Modric, Sandro, Defoe
West Ham: Green, Upson, Da Costa, Bridge, Jacobsen, Parker, Hitzlsperger, Noble, O'Neil, Cole, Ba 

My Prediction:

Spurs will want revenge on West Ham. Firstly, because of their losing of the Olympic Stadium to the Hammers, and secondly, to make up for that defeat in 2010. I reckon West Ham can hold out against the North Londoners for a 1-1 draw.

Billy Taylor

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