– West Ham have been leading at half-time in their last three matches in all competitions
– Tottenham have conceded the first goal in seven of their last nine games
– Recommended bet: West Ham to win 1st Half at 23/10
West Ham manager David Moyes will need all his experience to boost the morale of his squad after Saturday’s dramatic 4-3 Premier League defeat at Newcastle.
The Hammers led 3-1 at St James’ Park with less than 15 minutes remaining but they have the chance to put that capitulation behind them when they host London rivals Tottenham on Tuesday.
Spurs boosted their top-four chances with a 2-1 home win over Luton, scoring yet another late winner, and they are aiming to avenge December’s 2-1 defeat to West Ham at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Team news
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West Ham goalkeeper Alphonse Areola came off with a thigh injury at Newcastle on Saturday so the experienced Lukasz Fabianski is set to deputise.
Midfielder Edson Alvarez is suspended but striker Michail Antonio and centre-back Nayef Aguerd should overcome minor injuries.
Tottenham forwards Brennan Johnson and Richarlison are pushing for recalls and Micky van de Ven should start alongside Cristian Romero in central defence.
Ryan Sessegnon, Manor Solomon and goalkeeper Fraser Forster remain sidelined.
The stats
– West Ham have conceded 21 goals in their last eight Premier League matches.
– Both teams have scored in the Hammers’ last five league games.
– West Ham have been leading at half-time in their last three matches in all competitions.
– Eight of Tottenham’s 14 away matches have featured over 3.5 goals.
– Spurs have conceded the first goal in seven of their last nine games.
– Tottenham have scored 39 of their 61 league goals in the second half of matches.
Prediction
Tottenham took an 11th-minute lead in December’s home game against West Ham, who hit back to win 2-1 thanks to second-half goals from Jarrod Bowen and James Ward-Prowse.
That was a rarity for Ange Postecoglou’s Spurs, who tend to start games slowly and do most of their damage after half-time.
They have gone 1-0 down in seven of their last nine league matches, failing to score a first-half goal in any of their last six outings.
Tahith Chong put Luton ahead in the third minute on Saturday and Spurs trailed 1-0 at half-time in their last away fixture at Fulham.
West Ham’s defensive problems suggest they may struggle to replicate the Cottagers’ handsome 3-0 victory over Tottenham but they are worth backing to lead at half-time.
Moyes’s men, stung by their defeat at Newcastle, have the attacking talent to strike an early blow, with Bowen, Lucas Paqueta and Mohammed Kudus in support of striker Michail Antonio.
Bowen scored twice in the first seven minutes of February’s 4-2 home win over Brentford and Paqueta opened the scoring in the ninth minute of last month’s 5-0 Europa League rout of Freiburg.
Antonio’s goal gave the Hammers a 1-0 half-time lead over Aston Villa in their last home game and they can establish a first-half advantage again.
