West Ham United will face high-flying Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday in Carabao Cup. This will be a tough match for Slaven Bilic considering the amount of pressure on him to deliver results. The fact that they have to face Tottenham will only make things hard for the Hammers but they should be looking to take advantage of the fact that Mauricio Pochettino is likely to rotate his squad.
Moreover, goal-scoring machine Harry Kane is expected to sit this one out, so that should provide some solace for West Ham, who are in urgent need of a win.
Slaven Bilic will make a few changes but is likely to retain his key players due to the mounting pressure on his job after a string of bad results. Andy Carroll will return after his suspension, while Diafra Sakho and James Collins are edging closer to a first-team place following their injuries.
Here’s how West Ham might line up against Tottenham:
Joe Hart is likely to be rested after playing week in and week out, which should present a good opportunity for Adrian to display his skills.
Ogbonna has been struggling since returning from his long-term knee injury but he needs to do better if he gets a chance to start.
Reid will take up his usual role at the heart of the Hammers defence while trying to establish a solid partnership with fellow defenders.
Byram has lost his place to Pablo Zabaleta for the most this season but Bilic is likely to deploy the defender against Spurs since the youngster is in desperate need of game time.
Cresswell has been subjected to a bit of criticism for his displays over the last couples of games but he is still likely to be selected against Tottenham.
Kouyate made a slow start to the season but his recent performances have been encouraging, to say the least. Bilic is likely to give him the go-ahead on Wednesday.
The midfielder was quite solid against Brighton even though the Hammers did end up losing 3-0. Thus, he should be expecting to receive a spot in the starting XI.
Often touted as West Ham’s most complete midfielder, Fernandes could prove to be vital when it comes to establishing control in the area against a strong opposition.
Since Bilic is expected to prioritise the Premier League, Ayew could get a start. He has struggled to justify his performances so far but he should be hoping to put up a positive display against Spurs.
Antonio has been quite good in their past couple of matches and he will be looking to continue that form if he gets a start.
A lot has been said about Sakho’s ineffectiveness in front of the goal but with Bilic likely to rest Andy Carroll, this should be an ideal time for the striker to make a mark.
Tottenham’s last three home games against West Ham at home have seen 14 goals (avg 4.7 per game), although this will be their first ever meeting at Wembley.
This will be the ninth meeting across seven ties between these two sides in the League Cup, with the Hammers winning the last encounter back in December 2013 – a 2-1 quarter-final victory at White Hart Lane.
West Ham are looking to reach the quarter-final stage in consecutive campaigns for the first time since 1980-81, the same season they beat Tottenham en route to a final defeat by Liverpool.
West Ham are returning to Wembley for the first time since May 2012 when they beat Blackpool 2-1 in the Championship play-off final – their previous appearance was a League Cup final against Liverpool in 1981.
Source: Sky Sports
The beauty of a cup game is that there is no such thing called ‘favourites’. So the game is sure to be a tightly contested. Both the teams have been trophy-less for a long time and they’ll be itching to lift the Carabao cup as the English League cup is a good one to win after all. Although Tottenham have been in great form, I’d back West Ham to come out on top. I feel that Tottenham’s ‘Wembley woes’ might come to the fore again.
Final Score: Tottenham 1-2 West Ham United
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