West Brom vs. Tottenham
Venue: The Hawthorns
Kick off: 1PM
Tottenham Hotspur will be looking to maintain their positive start to the campaign when they face West Bromwich Albion in the Premier League at lunchtime.
Spurs have won 10 of their 14 matches in all competitions so far and enter this weekend’s action third in the division, two points off leaders and champions Liverpool.
West Brom are winless in seven matches since earning promotion back to the top flight, meanwhile, leaving them inside the bottom three and in need a morale-boosting result.
Following the disappointment of throwing away a late three-goal lead to draw 3-3 with West Ham United, Tottenham have taken six points from six to drag themselves up the table.
The one-goal wins over Burnley and Brighton & Hove Albion showed the grittier side of Spurs, who are now unbeaten in six league matches since their opening-game loss to Everton.
That is the longest current unbeaten run in the Premier League, and Jose Mourinho’s men are also the highest scorers in the division this term with 18 goals to their name.
Thursday’s 3-1 Europa League win away to Ludogorets Razgrad, a game in which Harry Kane scored his 200th goal for the club, ensures that Spurs are still going strong in each cup competition.
Winning silverware is the aim for Mourinho, and while that may be easier to achieve in the Europa League or EFL Cup, Spurs cannot be ruled out as Premier League title contenders.
With Liverpool and Manchester City facing off at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday, this is an opportunity the Lilywhites cannot afford to pass up.
On the basis of their away matches to date that should not be a problem. Spurs have won all three away games and could win four in a row for just a fourth time in their history.
West Brom will have other ideas, of course, as they are in desperate need of points for an entirely different reason – to drag themselves out of the relegation zone.
After losing 2-0 to fellow strugglers Fulham last time out, Baggies boss Slaven Bilic admitted to being “worried” by the performance of his players.
It is now three points from a possible 21 for Albion, while going further back they are winless in eight Premier League matches, shipping 18 goals during that run.
West Brom did beat Spurs 1-0 the last time the sides met in the top flight two-and-a-half-years ago, but they have not won back-to-back games in this fixture since November 1984.
West Bromwich Albion possible XI: Johnstone, Furlong, Ivanovic, Ajayi, Townsend, Gallagher, Livermore, Krovinovic, Robinson, Grant, Pereira.
Tottenham Hotspur possible XI: Lloris, Doherty, Sanchez, Dier, Reguilon, Sissoko, Hojbjerg, Lucas, Ndombele, Son, Kane