Chris Sutton has offered his verdict on this weekend’s high-stakes London derby encounter between Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United.
Derby day encounters in the Premier League are often fierce, and this weekend brings a few that are firmly in the eyeline of supporters.
The Manchester derby sets the tone for the matchweek as title-chasing Manchester City face inconsistent Manchester United.
That is followed by another crunch fixture, with Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United locking horns at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in a game dubbed ‘El Sackio’, given the pressure both managers are under.
Chris Sutton predicts Tottenham vs West Ham outcome
Thomas Frank has Tottenham sitting 14th in the Premier League table and has often been on the receiving end of boos from supporters who are far from pleased with recent results and performances.
Nuno Espirito Santo, a former Spurs boss, is also under pressure of his own, with West Ham United rooted in the relegation zone and sitting 18th.
With both managers desperate for a win, Sutton has now shared his London derby score prediction, writing in his BBC Sport column.
The pundit assessed the pressure, form, and likely pattern of the game before predicting a narrow victory for the home side. He wrote: “They are calling this ‘El Sackio’, because both managers are under so much pressure.
“Tottenham’s home form is miserable, with two wins in 10 league games, and there is so much angst amongst their fans at the moment.
“Similarly, West Ham’s players are probably better off away from home right now because of the animosity from their supporters inside their own stadium, but their away record is just as atrocious with only one win in 10.
“This is one of those games where I like to wheel out one of my favourite sayings in football – these two teams have been so bad recently that they both could lose.
“It is certainly hard to make a case for either of them to win it. I am going to go with Spurs, because new signing Conor Gallagher has plenty of energy and will add some thrust and drive to their midfield.
“But it is a lot easier to predict that it will be a dismal game, with Tottenham booed off after a bang-average performance that means Thomas Frank is still under pressure despite winning.
“As for Hammers boss Nuno Espirito Santo, he is just going to be in even greater danger of getting the sack.”
Sutton’s prediction: Tottenham 1-0 West Ham United
Spurs history offers encouragement against West Ham
Historically, when these two sides meet, it is often the Lilywhites who tend to get the better of their London rivals.
Spurs have won 28 of the 59 meetings between the two clubs, with West Ham United winning 18 and 13 ending in draws.
In the reverse fixture earlier this season, it was Tottenham who took all three points, thanks to goals from Pape Matar Sarr, Lucas Bergvall, and Micky van de Ven.
Interestingly, while Spurs have a poor home record in the Premier League, they have been impressive in home clashes against the Hammers, winning 16 of the 29 meetings, with West Ham managing just six away victories in north London.