Tottenham v West Ham Betting Tips: Can Harry Kane prove Jose Mourinho right?
Published:Odds and preview for tonight’s Premier League match
Tottenham are the favourites to triumph in this London derby at 4/6, with West Ham the underdogs at 4/1. The draw is going at 29/10.
Spurs came out on top in a thrilling 3-2 win in the reverse fixture back in November and they’re 12/1 to repeat the feat this evening. The north London side are desperate to improve their goal difference as they chase Champions League football and they’re priced at 18/1 to score over 4.5 goals.
Harry Kane has netted eight times against West Ham in his career and he’s 14/5 to open the scoring tonight. Meanwhile, West Ham’s Michail Antonio, who deputised up top on Saturday, is 9/1 to score first or 33/1 to bag more than once.
Spurs boss Jose Mourinho will have been pleased his side survived against Manchester United, but fans will be anxiously hoping he releases the shackles against West Ham tonight.
The Portuguese is famed for his pragmatic approach and with good reason. It won him Champions Leagues with Porto and Inter Milan and made his early Chelsea side one of the best in Premier League history.
Yet there’s a feeling that his management style is somewhat outdated and Mourinho has been accused of not getting the best out of his attacking players.
Harry Kane, who has scored at least 20 Premier League goals in four of the last five seasons, has managed 11 this year despite an injury-hit campaign.
But the England international’s role seems to have changed under Mourinho. He’s dropping deeper, limiting his opportunities to get on the end of crosses and demonstrate his ability as one of the best poachers in Europe.
Pundits have criticised Kane, suggesting he won’t rediscover his prolific touch under Mourinho, leading to the Spurs boss biting back. And tonight’s match is a chance for Kane to prove his manager right.
He’s recovered from a hamstring injury that threatened to end his season before its premature postponement and he’s been tasked with using the final eight games of the season to fire Spurs into next season’s Champions League.
They’re currently eighth, four points off Manchester United in fifth, and they come up against a West Ham side who are in freefall having won just twice in the league this calendar year.
The Hammers resumed their campaign with a 2-0 defeat to Wolves on Saturday and David Moyes’ side are hanging by a thread, only above the drop zone on goal difference.
With Chelsea to come in their next fixture, West Ham need to find a way to upset the odds in order to avoid falling further behind.
But Kane will be licking his lips at the prospect of facing a defence with just three clean sheets since September and he’ll be boosted in attack by Heung-min Son, Steven Bergwijn and Dele Alli, who returns from suspension.
The form book is often ripped up when these two sides meet, even without the absence of fans, but Mourinho will be keen to put his money where his mouth is and make a statement to prove he’s still special.
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All odds and markets correct as of date of publication