The West Ham supporters at the Football Transfer Tavern haven’t been overly impressed with their side this season, with the Hammers hovering just over the relegation zone.
However, they know that anything can happen in a derby match between West Ham and Spurs and have an inkling that they can overcome their rivals.
They did so at Upton Park last season, thanks to a Michail Antonio header and will be hoping that they will be able to repeat that this time around.
They will be without Winston Reid and Mark Noble due to suspension, but will be hoping that the likes of Dimitri Payet and Andre Ayew will be able to fire the Hammers to victory.
The landlord has come up with the West Ham ELEVEN that he thinks will shock Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday. Do you agree with these picks and who would you play? Let us know…..
GOALKEEPER: Adrian
Adrian has made some costly errors in recent weeks, but it has to be remembered that it’s not long ago that he was called up to the Spain squad, so Bilic will be reluctant to drop him.
This is despite Darren Randolph playing well for the Hammers in the cup competitions and keeping a clean sheet for Republic of Ireland.
Adrian will have to get back to his best, not just for his own spot, but to help West Ham against a side that has some brilliant finishers.
RIGHT CENTRE BACK: Cheikhou Kouyate
Despite the fact that he is naturally a central midfielder, Cheikhou Kouyate has performed incredibly well as part of a West Ham back three.
He was arguably the best performer in their cup win against Chelsea, and if he plays in defence against Spurs, will make sure that the defence stays solid.
His athleticism and power help him in defence as well as in the opposition box and he could pop up with a goal to help the Hammers to victory.
CENTRE BACK: Winston Reid
He missed the Stoke City game because of suspension, but as long as he has recovered from injury he should slot straight back into the middle of West Ham’s backline.
The New Zealand international will lead the defence, as well as the rest of the team, as in Noble’s absence, it is likely that he will take over the captaincy role.
West Ham will have to be solid and disciplined defensively if they are to get anything at White Hart Lane and Winston Reid will be a massive part of that.
LEFT CENTRE BACK: Angello Ogbonna
Ogbonna is also very good defensively but is a bit better on the ball than his centre back partner.
He will be the man who starts attacks after breaking up the play and his technical ability could help West Ham get out of difficult situations and get a bit of rest time on the ball if the players need it.
He will be tested defensively, but he should be able to overcome that test, which will allow his class to show.
RIGHT WING-BACK: Michail Antonio
Michail Antonio has arguably been West Ham’s most consistent performer this season.
He is also their top goalscorer, bagging all of his goals through headers, as he did against Tottenham last season.
He has had a couple of games without a goal, as his effort against Stoke was deemed as a Glenn Whelan own goal, so he will be looking to get back in and amongst the goals, starting with the game at White Hart Lane.
CENTRAL MIDFIELDER: Pedro Obiang
It wasn’t that long ago that everyone was saying that Pedro Obiang was going to be leaving West Ham, but now he must be one of the first name on Bilic’s team sheet.
His defensive capabilities are better than most midfielders in the country, and he could be the man to give the Hammers the stable base that will allow them to move forward and up the league.
He can also help going forward though, as his powerful running is perfect for Payet and others in the team to play incisive balls to.
CENTRAL MIDFIELDER: Havard Nordtveit
It seemed as though Havard Nordtviet was going to have an uphill battle to get into the first team.
However, with Kouyate dropping into defence and Noble suspended, if Bilic wants to continue playing the 3-4-3 formation, Nordtveit could see himself starting in one of West Ham’s biggest games since he came to London.
He will have to show the form that helped Borrusia Monchengladbach to a Champions League place last season and earned him a move to the Premier League, if West Ham are to get anything from the game.
LEFT WING-BACK: Aaron Cresswell
After suffering injury in pre-season, some West Ham fans at the Transfer Tavern were worried that it may take Cresswell a while to get back to top form.
However, he has come back and done so well that he had a call up to the most recent squad.
He is very good defensively and given a more attacking role, he will have more opportunities to use his dangerous delivery, something that will threaten Tottenham Hotspur.
RIGHT WINGER: Manuel Lanzini
Manuel Lanzini and Dimitri Payet are starting to hit up a fantastic relationship on the pitch.
With the pair just behind the striker, coming in to link up, they are beginning to look very dangerous.
The Argentinian will be looking to add more goals and assists to his game, but his movement and technical ability could cause Tottenham Hotspur’s defence a lot of problems if they do not deal with it.
STRIKER: Andre Ayew
He didn’t have the start that he would have wanted at West Ham, but now that he is back fit, Andre Ayew should be a key player for West Ham.
The Ghanaian is likely to be used as a striker, as the Hammers have had some real problems in that position and will be hoping that there record signing will be able to fill the void there.
Michail Antonio has already put in a shift up there, but despite some good performances he didn’t manage to get any goals in that position, so Ayew will be looking to be the first West Ham player to score while playing upfront this season.
LEFT WINGER: Dimitri Payet
West Ham’s talisman has a habit of performing in big games for both club and country, and the West Ham faithful are hoping that he will continue this at White Hart Lane.
Payet hasn’t been at his best for West Ham in recent times, but he showed in the international break how good he can be.
The Frenchman will be able to hurt Tottenham from set pieces and open play so they will make sure that they deal with his threat, otherwise he will punish them.
