Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United will cross swords in a much-anticipated London derby on Wednesday with a spot in the EFL Cup semi-finals up for grabs.
Having been knocked out of the Europa Conference League on Monday after forfeiting their final group game against Ligue 1 side Rennes, Spurs boss Antonio Conte will look at the EFL Cup as the best chance for a trophy this season.
Conte’s side will head into Wednesday’s cup game off the back of a riveting 2-2 Premier League draw with Liverpool in north London.
However, Spurs will be up against a strong West Ham side that is looking to achieve great things this term. Having eliminated Manchester City—the EFL Cup holders in the last round—David Moyes’ side have shown that they can beat the very best team in the division on their day and will provide a stiff challenge for Conte’s team.
Tottenham vs West Ham – Team News
Tottenham
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg missed Sunday’s 2-2 draw with Liverpool and is a doubt for the midweek EFL Cup encounter.
Dane Scarlett and Bryan Gil have tested positive for Covid-19 and are out for the upcoming game, while Cristian Romero has been ruled out until January with a thigh problem.
Pierluigi Gollini has started Tottenham’s last two EFL cup fixtures but Hugo Lloris may be preferred for this game. In the three-man backline, Joe Rodon could come in for Davinson Sanchez. Eric Dier and Ben Davies may keep their places in the Tottenham lineup from the 2-2 draw with Liverpool.
Changes are imminent at wing-back positions, with Japhet Tanganga and Sergio Reguilon replacing Emerson Royal and Ryan Sessegnon respectively in Conte’s XI. Harry Winks had a decent game against Liverpool and might get the nod to start again in midfield. Oliver Skipp and Giovani Lo Celso will provide solidity and creativity to the Spurs midfield.
Conte could go with Harry Kane and Lucas Moura upfront, as Spurs aim to beat West Ham and clinch a semi-finals berth in the EFL Cup.
West Ham
West Ham’s defensive crisis turned from bad to worse last Thursday when Vladimir Coufal was sent off during the 2-0 loss to Arsenal. Thus, he will serve a one-game suspension.
Kurt Zouma, Ben Johnson, Ryan Fredericks and Angelo Ogbonna are all out of contention but there’s a glimmer of hope with Aaron Creswell recovering from a lower back problem in time to face West Ham.
Alphonse Areola will resume his customary cup duties in goal on Wednesday. With the Hammers in midst of a defensive crisis, Craig Dawson will continue partnering Issa Diop at centre-back. Harrison Ashby has made three cup appearances this season and is likely to deputise for the suspended Vladimir Coufal at right-back, with Arthur Masuaku keeping his place intact at left-back.
🗣 Read every word from the boss' press conference today ahead of tomorrow's match against Tottenham in the Carabao Cup…#TOTWHU
— West Ham United (@WestHam) December 21, 2021
David Moyes may freshen up things in midfield by handing starts to Alex Kral and Mark Noble ahead of Declan Rice and Tomas Soucek. Nikola Vlasic is pushing for a start and the Croat will look to link up well with Manuel Lanzini and Pablo Fornals in the final third and cause problems to the Spurs backline.
Michail Antonio could do well with some rest having not scored in the league since netting the winner against Spurs in October, meaning Andriy Yarmolenko could be in for a rare start up top for West Ham.
Tottenham vs West Ham – Predicted Lineups
Tottenham Predicted Lineup (3-5-2): Hugo Lloris; Joe Rodon, Eric Dier, Ben Davies; Japhet Tanganga, Harry Winks, Oliver Skipp, Giovani Lo Celso, Sergio Reguilon; Lucas Moura, Harry Kane
West Ham United Predicted Lineup (4-2-3-1): Alphonse Areola; Harrison Ashby, Craig Dawson, Issa Diop, Arthur Masuaku; Alex Kral, Mark Noble; Manuel Lanzini, Nikola Vlasic, Pablo Fornals; Andriy Yarmolenko
Tottenham vs West Ham – Key Players
Tottenham—Harry Kane
Kane opened the scoring for Spurs against Liverpool with a low drive past Alisson but was guilty of missing a gilt-edged chance in the second half. After being lucky to escape a straight red card, the England international is expected to lead the attack and will be Tottenham’s most dangerous goal-scoring outlet on Wednesday.
West Ham—Manuel Lanzini
Lanzini is a lively, creative player who will look to combine well with the likes of Fornals and Vlasic and create openings for West Ham. The diminutive Argentinean is an expert at exploiting half-spaces behind the opposition backline and scoring goals from long range, thereby, making him a tricky customer to deal with for the Spurs rearguard.
Prediction: Tottenham 2-1 West Ham