Everything you need to know about Wednesday's London derby at the Boleyn Ground
The background
It’s derby day at the Boleyn Ground on Wednesday evening as West Ham United welcome Tottenham Hotspur to east London.The last ever meeting with the north Londoners in E13 promises to be an exciting affair, with Slaven Bilic’s men looking to strengthen their bid for a top six place, and Tottenham trying to maintain the pressure on Leicester City at the head of the Barclays Premier League table.
Both go into the game on the back of victories at the weekend, with Michail Antonio’s first half goal sealing a 1-0 win for West Ham against Sunderland.
Tottenham, meanwhile, made it six league wins in a row by coming from behind to defeat Swansea City thanks to goals from Nacer Chadli and Danny Rose.
Spurs are two points behind table-toppers Leicester, and eleven ahead of the Hammers, who sit in sixth place with 43 points from their 27 games to date.
The history
West Ham and Tottenham fixtures go all the way back to both clubs’ earliest days, with those first meetings coming in the Thames and Medway League in the 1898/99 season.Since then, they have faced each other on 202 occasions across all competitions, with West Ham having triumphed in 60 of those fixtures. Tottenham have tasted victory 91 times, while 51 games have ended all-square.
In recent times, West Ham have enjoyed a reasonable record against the north Londoners, winning three of the last six meetings.
Their last win came at the end of the 2013/14 campaign, when Stewart Downing’s free-kick followed a Harry Kane own goal in West Ham’s 2-0 victory.
Earlier this season, however, Tottenham ran out 4-1 victors at White Hart Lane. Manuel Lanzini’s goal was not enough in reply to a Kane double, which was added to by Toby Alderweireld and Kyle Walker.
The match
Team news
West Ham United
Sam Byram is suspended for the Hammers after picking up his tenth booking of the season in Saturday’s game against Sunderland.The right back will now miss the next two fixtures and joins defenders James Tomkins, Joey O’Brien and Winston Reid on the sidelines.
However, Diafra Sakho may be called into the squad after returning to full training last week.
Tottenham Hotspur
Dele Alli is a fitness doubt for the visitors after picking up a foot problem in the warm-up prior to Sunday’s game against Swansea.Fellow midfielder Tom Carroll has recovered from an Achilles injury and could feature, but Mousa Dembele is expected to miss out with his groin problem.
Match info
- Wednesday’s match referee is Andre Marriner. His sole Hammers appointment this term was the 0-0 draw with Stoke City in December, while his 24 games in 2015/16 have seen 80 yellow and four red cards. His assistant referees on Wednesday will be Scott Ledger and Darren Cann. Mike Dean is the fourth official.- West Ham are unbeaten in 13 league and cup games at home (W8, D5).
- The Hammers have kept four clean sheets in their last six home games in the league.
- Their tally of 43 points is their best at this stage of a Premier League season.
- Michail Antonio has scored in four of his last five Premier League appearances at the Boleyn Ground.
- Spurs could win seven successive league matches for the first time in 49 years since March to May 1967.
- They are unbeaten in 12 Premier League away games (W7, D5).
Ticketing, coverage, travel and other info
- Tickets for Wednesday’s game have SOLD OUT. However, they may become available online as Season Ticket Holders relist.- The District & Hammersmith and City lines are set to serve Upton Park station as normal on Wednesday. However, please be aware that Upton Park station will be exceptionally busy on matchday.
- Wednesday is set to be a wet day, although the rain should clear in time for kick-off. Temperature in the evening is predicted to fall to 4C (39F).
- If you’re not heading to Wednesday’s game, make sure you follow the action on our digital channels. The whufc.com Live Match Centre will have live audio commentary and text updates, alongside in-running stats and pictures. You can get involved in the conversation on social using the hashtag #WHUTOT.