The Carabao Cup is back and fans will be given a Halloween treat of a London derby between West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur.
West Ham reached the fourth round of the competition by beating AFC Wimbledon and Macclesfield Town, the in latter an 8-0 drubbing, while Spurs saw off Watford.
Read on for West Ham v Spurs live stream options, team news, predicted XIs, stats and TV channel info.
When is West Ham United vs Tottenham Hotspur?
Competition: Carabao Cup
Venue: London Stadium
Date: Wednesday, 31 October
Kick-off: 7:45 PM GMT
Match preview
Over a month since the third round took place, the Carabao Cup returns this week with some eye-catching ties on the cards. One of those, on Halloween, will see Tottenham Hotspur make the short trip across the capital to the London Stadium to face West Ham.
The pair have already faced off at the former home of the 2012 Olympics this season with Spurs earning a slender 1-0 away win last weekend courtesy of a goal from Erik Lamela.
But Mauricio Pochettino’s men will expect another tough match against a West Ham side who will be looking to the Carabao Cup fixture as a time to earn their first win since the end of September – losing two and drawing one of their past three matches.
It was at this stage last season that a rotated Tottenham side lost 3-2 to West Ham in the Carabao Cup at Wembley, having given up a two-goal lead.
What makes it harder for Spurs is the London side will be playing just 48 hours after taking on Manchester City in the Premier League, giving their players very little time to recover should Pochettino wish to field a team worthy on advancing.
Where can I watch live?
West Ham’s game against Tottenham cannot be viewed by UK residents on TV.
Why are Tottenham playing two games in three days?
Tottenham’s home game against Man City on Monday was initially scheduled to be on Sunday at Spurs’ new White Hart Lane stadium. But the delaying of the ground’s opening saw Tottenham return to Wembley, which meant the Man City match had to be moved a day later due to Wembley hosting the NFL. Spurs subsequent game comes on Saturday against Wolves in the Premier League, meaning Wednesday was the only real option for the Carabao Cup tie.
What has happened to West Ham?
West Ham endured a poor start to the season, losing their opening four matches, but they looked to have turned things around as they went on to take points from Everton, Chelsea and Manchester United. However, since then, the Hammers have fallen once more, without a win in their past three matches. This seems to have stemmed from poor fortune in front of goal, with the Hammers scoring in just one of the three games despite having 27 shots.
Should Pochettino target the League Cup?
Despite improving Tottenham since taking over 2014, Pochettino is yet to lead the club to a trophy, something many deem to be the true marker of success. Having gone close in the Premier League during the 2015/16 and 2016/17 seasons, Spurs have a lot of competition now with a top-six forming of teams who can genuinely challenge for the title. In the past Spurs have disappointed in cups but Pochettino needs a success and the Carabao Cup looks like the best option this season.
Head-to-head
West Ham have endured a strange start to the season, winning four of their 12 games in all competitions so far – two Carabao Cup wins along with Premier League victories over Everton and Manchester United.
Meanwhile, Tottenham have been quietly impressive in the Premier League, winning seven of their opening nine matches to record their best-ever start in the competition before falling to Manchester City on Monday night.
Yet, their record in Champions League, in which they are still without a win having played half their group stage fixtures, is the polar opposite.
Wednesday’s tie will be the 211th meeting between the London rivals, with Tottenham often coming out on top with 95 wins to West Ham’s 63.
West Ham wins: 63 Draws: 52 Tottenham wins: 95
Team news
West Ham will be without some of their most important players for the visit of Tottenham; Winston Reid, Carlos Sanchez, Manuel Lanzini, Andriy Yarmolenko, Jack Wilshere, Andy Carroll and Mark Noble are all out through injuries or suspensions. The Hammers will, however, be hopeful of a return for Pedro Obiang, with the Spaniard having missed their past two matches.
Meanwhile, Spurs boss Pochettino has hinted that he will make major changes against West Ham due to the congested fixture list which sees the club play four games in eight days.
READ MORE: What happened to the teams who hold the longest opening win-streaks in Europe’s top five leagues?
“I think it will be difficult, but we are going to see, because the pre-season was different,” he said.
“When we played last year in the Christmas period, Boxing Day, when you play with 48 hours in between two games you play against teams that are in a similar condition to you. But now it’s still difficult to be in the same condition as different teams.
“That is why we are thinking it will be difficult to repeat with some players who will play on Monday. That is why we are thinking, overthinking which is not so good, but we need to put two teams that will be so competitive in both games.
“Because first on Monday try to put the best starting XI out to be close to win and then Wednesday don’t be wrong we will play a very fresh team away from home again and sometimes it’s not fair because you know in 48 hours it’s very difficult for players to recover.
“But if you play against a team that played 48 hours before maybe that power and energy is similar but maybe, in that case, it’s not the same.”
Predicted West Ham XI: Fabianski; Fredericks, Ogbonna, Diop, Cresswell; Rice, Obiang, Snodgrass; Antonio, Anderson, Hernandez.
Predicted Tottenham XI: Vorm; Aurier, Sanchez, Foyth, Davies; Wanyama, Winks, Sissoko; N’Koudou, Lamela; Llorente.
Predictions & Betting Tips
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1. West Ham to win @ 13/8
It was a rotated Spurs team that lost to West Ham at this stage of the Carabao Cup last season and with Pochettino heavily hinting at more rotation, the same result could be expected once more.
The two sides may be in differing form, with Spurs having the better recent record, but the north London side have been known to struggle once they get past their strongest XI with no real replacement for Harry Kane up front.
Tip: West Ham to win @ 13/8 with William Hill – bet here
Odds correct at time of publishing (30/10/2018, 10:00)
18+ only. Ts&Cs apply. BeGambleAware.org
2. Both teams to score YES @ 4/6
Another result of the rotated line-ups could see both sides’ defences breached with West Ham looking especially weak at the back this season.
In 12 games across all competitions so far, West Ham have conceded 16 goals while scoring 18. At the same time, Spurs have scored 23 while conceding 17 in 13 matches.
Tip: Both teams to score YES @ 4/6 with William Hill – bet here
Odds correct at time of publishing (30/10/2018, 10:00)
18+ only. Ts&Cs apply. BeGambleAware.org
3. Over 3.5 goals @ 2/1
When these sides last met in the Carabao Cup, West Ham emerged victorious with a 3-2 win, a scoreline which has occurred in three of the past six games between the Hammers and Tottenham.
The past 10 matches have seen 30 goals scored in total, but with the rotated XIs could see this record bettered on Wednesday.
Tip: Over 3.5 goals @ 2/1 with William Hill – bet here
Odds correct at time of publishing (30/10/2018, 10:00)
18+ only. Ts&Cs apply. BeGambleAware.org
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