West Ham and Tottenham Hotspur will renew (un)pleasantries when the Premier League returns from the international break on Saturday (12:30 pm ET), with both sides looking a bit different following a busy transfer deadline.
WATCH — West Ham vs Tottenham Hotspur
Spurs were easily brushed aside by Bournemouth last time out, and Thomas Frank’s side looked more like the team that lost 22 PL games last season (twice as many as they won) than the one that beat Burnley and Manchester City to open the season. Mohammed Kudus will receive an unfriendly reception upon returning to east London after swapping sides of the rivalry this summer ($75 million) and stating that he “only wanted Spurs” in his first statement upon joining the club. Kudus scored 13 goals and assisted 9 more in 65 Premier League games for West Ham. The 25-year-old Ghanaian international isn’t the only major addition to Spurs’ attack either, with Xavi Simons ($70 million) and Randal Kolo Muani (loan) set to make their debuts after signing just before the transfer closed. Frank will likely use both players in multiple positions, with Simons either on the left wing or as the no. 10, and Kolo Muani either at center forward (by himself, or with another in a 3-5-2) or on the left wing as well.
West Ham were one of the Premier League’s busier clubs leading up to the deadline because, well, they hadn’t done much business up until that point and the squad desperately needed strengthening. Prior to Aug. 29, the Hammers, a side that scored just 46 goals last season (6th-fewest), had added a new left back (El Hadji Malick Diouf, from Slavia Prague), a free-transfer right back (Kyle Walker-Peters), a free-transfer center forward (Callum Wilson) and a new goalkeeper (Mads Hermansen, from Leicester), so it was hardly a surprise they scored just once in their opening two games. And still, Mateus Fernandes ($52 million, from Southampton) was the only attack-minded player signed this summer, alongside 21-year-old defensive midfielder Soungoutou Magassa (Monaco) and 19-year-old center back Dmitri Colau (Paris FC).
For live updates and highlights throughout West Ham vs Tottenham Hotspur, check out PST’s live blog coverage below.
How to watch West Ham vs Tottenham Hotspur live, stream link and start time
Kick off time: 12:30 pm ET, Saturday
Venue: London Stadium — London
TV Channel: NBC
Streaming:Watch on NBC.com
West Ham team news, focus
OUT: Luis Guilherme (shoulder) | QUESTIONABLE: Niclas Fullkrug (calf), George Earthy (ankle)
Tottenham Hotspur team news, focus
OUT: James Maddison (torn ACL - MORE), Dejan Kulusevski (knee), Radu Dragusin (knee), Kota Takai (foot) | QUESTIONABLE: Yves Bissouma (undisclosed), Dominic Solanke (ankle)
West Ham vs Tottenham Hotspur prediction
In the past, an uglier, scrappier game would have suited West Ham perfectly, but Spurs’ new-look midfield might just have something to say about that. 1-1 until late, and then…West Ham 1-3 Tottenham Hotspur.