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Tottenham Hotspur vs West Ham United: 2015 Premier League live scores, blog

22nd February, 2015
Time: 11:00pm AEDT
Venue: White Hart Lane
Head to head: Played 19, Tottenham 11, West Ham 5, Draws 3
Betting: Tottenham $1.75, Draw $3.70 West Ham $4.75
TV: Foxtel
West Ham are defeating top teams on the road but can't find home comforts.
Expert
22nd February, 2015
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Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United will meet at White Hart Lane in what should be crackling English Premier League London derby. Join The Roar for live scores and commentary from 11:00pm AEDT.

Both sides will be determined to shrug off bad results in their previous league fixtures and so, as is often the case when city rivals clash, a heated battle is anticipated.

Three of the last four meetings between these two clubs have ended in victory for the Hammers. Sam Allardyce’s team beat Spurs twice in the league and once in the cup last season, including the remarkable 3-0 trouncing at White Hart Lane.

But that was the old Tottenham, a disparate, disinterested bundle of players, a team that constantly proved itself to be far less than the sum of its parts. Mauricio Pochettino has, after a slow start, overseen an immensely encouraging revival, somehow tying together what at times seemed like an irreparable situation.

Under his stewardship, Christian Eriksen has blossomed into one of the league’s most wonderfully creative attacking midfielders, making the second most key passes, while Harry Kane has taken his opportunity up front with relish. Kane has scored a phenomenal 23 goals in all competitions for Spurs so far and an England call-up has been confirmed by national manager Roy Hodgson.

Tottenham currently sit fifth on the form table (taking into account the last eight games) and sixth on the actual table. After a glorious derby victory over Arsenal two weeks ago, Spurs will want to push for fourth and a Champions League spot. They haven’t lost any of their last seven home fixtures.

Of course, Big Sam will be striving with every fibre of his considerable being to make it two league losses on the trot for Spurs. The West Ham gaffer enjoys nothing more than upsetting the cultured managers of the Premier league, and his focus will be firmly on ensuring his team play more like they did in their 1-1 draw against Manchester United on February 9, rather than their showing against West Brom in their last run out.

The FA Cup loss to the Baggies was an exhibition in utter calamity for West Ham, a 4-0 loss that saw them offer up none of the vivacious attacking football that has hallmarked most of their impressive season so far. West Ham have suffered a worrying downturn in form over the last handful of league matches, winless in their last three league games, although, to be fair, their last three opponents have been Southampton, Manchester United and Liverpool.

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The Hammers are also stuck in the mire of an injury plague. Andy Carroll is out for the remainder of the season, while first-choice centre backs James Collins and Winston Reid are both doubtful.

Diafra Sakho will be looking to rediscover his form in front of goal, ably supported by the graft and energy of Enner Valencia, and West Ham fans will also be eager to see whether Allardyce continues to play Kevin Nolan in midfield, who has been unimpressive.

So, can the Hammers cause an upset?

The atmosphere will be fizzing, and anything can happen in an English Premier League derby, so join us here on The Roar from 11pm AEDT to follow all the thrills and spills on the live blog.

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