OPINION
West Ham United welcome bitter rivals Tottenham Hotspur to the London Stadium on Saturday afternoon in a huge derby as the Premier League returns after the international break, and Manuel Pellegrini must make just one change to his starting XI.
The Hammers are hoping to bounce back after a 1-0 defeat by Brighton last time out, with a Glenn Murray goal condemning them to a first defeat in four games as they recovered well from a disastrous start.
Opponents Tottenham are coming in to this one on good form, with Mauricio Pochettino’s men sitting just two points behind the leaders in the table after a 1-0 win over Cardiff before the break.
In goal, Lukasz Fabianski must start as usual.
In defence, Pablo Zabaleta, Issa Diop and Fabian Balbuena must all retain their places, with the only change coming as £50,000-a-week flyer Aaron Cresswell [Spotrac] comes in for the error-prone Arthur Masuaku, with the 5ft 10in ace [Transfermarkt] at fault for Murray’s winner for Brighton. This would be a rare start for Cresswell, who has played just three times in all competitions this term.
A midfield trio of captain Mark Noble, Declan Rice and Pedro Obiang must remain in place, with that group clicking well in recent weeks.
In attack, Andriy Yarmolenko and Felipe Anderson both must keep their places on the flanks despite disappointing outings against the Seagulls, with Marko Arnautovic leading the line.
This is a West Ham side which have more than enough to beat Tottenham on Saturday and give fans bragging rights over their London rivals.
