Key events
Speaking of Levy, take a look at this from David Squires…
Jacob Steinberg
“It will not only be fans of Tottenham looking on with interest when the architects of one of English football’s most astonishing acts of corporate brutality watch life after Daniel Levy begin with a game against rivals where most supporters are waiting for something similar to happen at their club…”
As I briefly mentioned earlier, West Ham have banned half-and-half scarves for today’s match. The move is among a number of increased security measures aimed at preventing away supporters from getting into the home sections at the London Stadium for a potentially volatile match.
A statement on the club website read: “West Ham United would like to make supporters aware that enhanced security measures will be in place for Saturday’s match against Tottenham Hotspur. This includes additional checks at turnstiles, restrictions on half-and-half scarves or items illustrating the colours/crests of both clubs and steps to ensure home areas remain for West Ham United fans only.
“We would like to kindly ask all supporters for patience when entering the stadium to allow our staff to perform these checks, especially during the busiest times in the 45 minutes ahead of kick-off.”
Today marks Tottenham’s first match since Daniel Levy’s sudden departure last week. Head coach Thomas Frank revealed yesterday that he held constructive talks with Spurs’ owners following the chairman’s exit and hopes that he will be given a say in the club’s long-term strategy.
Team news
West Ham starting line-up: Mads Hermansen; Kyle Walker-Peters, Konstantinos Mavropanos, Max Kilman, El Hadji Malick Diouf; James Ward-Prowse, Mateus Fernandes, Tomáš Souček; Crysencio Summerville, Jarrod Bowen (C), Lucas Paquetá.
Substitutes: Alphonse Areola, Igor Julio, Callum Wilson, Niclas Füllkrug, Luis Guilherme, Soungoutou Magassa, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Freddie Potts, Andy Irving.
Tottenham starting line-up: Guglielmo Vicario; Pedro Porro, Cristian Romero (C), Micky van de Ven, Djed Spence; Pape Matar Sarr, Palhinha, Lucas Bergvall; Mohammed Kudus, Mathys Tel, Xavi Simons.
Substitutes: Antonín Kinský, Kevin Danso, Richarlison, Destiny Udogie, Brennan Johnson, Wilson Odobert, Rodrigo Bentancur, Ben Davies, Randal Kolo Muani.
Preamble
Hello, good afternoon and welcome to coverage of the Premier League clash between West Ham and Tottenham. There is always a buzz around a London derby and this occasion is no different – we even saw half-and-half scarves banned a few days ago, more on that a bit later on.
West Ham go into the match off the back of their first win of the season, a 3-0 victory over Nottingham Forest at the City Ground. Meanwhile, Spurs’ last Premier League outing saw them lose 1-0 to Bournemouth at home.
This is bound to be a fiery one. Kick-off is at 5:30pm BST – join me!
