Coming off the back of a point at home to Leicester, West Ham set their sights on rivals Tottenham, where the Hammers look to be the first team to both score at the new stadium, as well as win there.
The Leicester game saw disappointment in the way in which the game concluded, with an offside call given against Lucas Perez, who was clearly onside, who rounded the keeper to put the Hammers 3-1 up and secure three points. However, the goal was disallowed and sloppy defending saw Harvey Barnes capitalise, and score in the 92nd minute to secure a point for the visitors.
Whilst West Ham were the better team in the first half, there was no denying Leicester’s quality in the second, and a point was perhaps the fairest result, albeit in the circumstances in which it concluded. It was a point that most Hammers fans would have taken prior to the game.
West Ham face the almost impossible task of getting a result against free-scoring Tottenham at the new stadium. However, it was the Hammers who beat Arsenal first at the new Emirates Stadium, and perhaps history can repeat itself in North London.
Here is the starting XI I believe Manuel Pellegrini will select for the trip to Tottenham:
GK - Lukasz Fabianski
A strong contender for Hammer of the Year, Fab stays between the sticks.
RB - Pablo Zabaleta
Zabaleta was solid on Saturday, and while Fredericks’s pace is useful, I believe that Pellegrini will opt for Zaba.
CB - Fabian Balbuena
Balbuena keeps his place as he looks to shore up the back line.
CB - Issa Diop
The return of Diop and Balbuena is needed for West Ham. Since Balbuena’s injury, the back line has never looked secure.
LB - Arthur Masuaku
With concerns over Cresswell’s fitness, Masuaku keeps his place. While at fault for the second goal on Saturday, he was positive going forward.
CM - Declan Rice
Another strong contender for HOTY, Rice maintains his starting position.
CM - Mark Noble
One of the few standout performances against Leicester, Noble has proven to the fans that he’s still got it.
CAM - Manuel Lanzini
There are rumours of Manu returning to full fitness in time for the Spurs game, however, don’t be surprised to see Nasri or even Wilshere get the nod here.
RW - Michail Antonio
Antonio, who is looking to make it two goals in two since returning to the side, gets the nod.
LW - Felipe Anderson
Anderson looked nervous on Saturday, and at £40 million, is a man who cannot be replaced. Here’s hoping he gets back to his December form.
ST - Marko Arnautovic
Arnie struggled on Saturday to make any significant impact. Although, in fairness, he had poor service to work with. Perez made an instant impact, but Arnie will still get the nod.