'Hard one' - Harry Redknapp predicts Tottenham Hotspur vs West Ham as London rivals face off

Tottenham Hotspur welcome West Ham to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in their upcoming Premier League clash this weekend. The pair are both back in action following the international break.

Ange Postecoglou’s side were beaten 3-2 away at Brighton and Hove Albion in their last league outing. They were 2-0 up at the AMEX Stadium but let the game slip away. As for West Ham, they beat newly promoted Ipswich Town 4-1 at the London Stadium. Michail Antonio, Mohamed Kudus, Jarrod Bowen and Lucas Paqueta got their goals against the Tractor Boys.

Harry Redknapp, who has managed both Spurs and the Hammers in the past, has made his score prediction for the game. He forecast: “Tottenham 2-1 West Ham. This is a hard one to predict. For 45 minutes against Brighton, I thought Tottenham were terrific. The next 45 minutes, not so much. I don’t know what to expect from them here, but they need a big response.

“West Ham are showing signs of life under Julen Lopetegui, there’s a lot of very good players in this side. They need to start showing a bit more on the road though, starting here. There won’t be much in this one, but I’m leaning for a home win, 2-1.”

Spurs want reaction

Postecoglou will expect to see a response from Spurs after their defeat at Brighton. He wasn’t a happy man after that loss and said afterwards: “It was disappointing and I'm absolutely gutted with that. It's an unacceptable second half -- we were nowhere near where we should be. Maybe we got carried away with how we were going.

"We kind of accepted our fate and it's hard to understand as we've not done that while I've been here. We usually fight for everything, and when you don't you pay a price. Maybe things were travelling on too smoothly. Football and life will trip you up if you get too far ahead of yourself and that's what it looked like in the second half.”

They are sat in 9th place in the table and have 10 points on the board from their first seven fixtures. They have been boosted by the returns of Son Heung-min and Richarlison in training.

As for West Ham, they are positioned in 12th and have seen an upturn in results. Ahead of their upcoming match, their defender Max Kilman has said: “We can’t wait for it. I’ve heard from the players what it means to the Club and the fans. But that is something to enjoy. These are the type of games you want to be involved in. As a player, I love the challenge of these sorts of games, so it is a game that we all have to be excited for.

“There’s a lot of pressure in the games, especially with it being a derby, but this is why we play football, and I feel I thrive under the pressure of performing. I think everyone’s becoming closer as a squad, and there is now a real togetherness.”