West Ham are breathing a huge sigh of relief ahead of the big Premier League clash with Tottenham Hotspur after two injury scares.
West Ham and Tottenham is always a big game.
But this one could be particularly significant for West Ham boss Julen Lopetegui and his Spurs counterpart Ange Postecoglou.
Both managers have found themselves under pressure.
That has eased slightly on Lopetegui’s shoulders thanks to West Ham’s 4-1 win over Ipswich.
But it has grown heavier on Postecoglou’s after Tottenham’s dismal collapse from 2-0 up to lose 3-2 at Brighton last time out.
West Ham and Spurs have a host of players away on international duty right now. It remains to be seen how those are when they return to London.
However, it says a lot about how much West Ham’s squad has improved that there a host of quality players were left behind at Rush Green.
Hammers and Spurs both have injury concerns for derby
Both clubs have a few injury worries ahead of the first Premier League match of the weekend after the international break.
As Hammers News has been reporting for over a month, striker Niclas Fullkrug has no set comeback date and Spurs is likely to come too soon for his involvement.
At best he will be on the bench for the Hammers.
Tottenham have their own injury issues.
Spurs captain Son Heung-min has missed the club’s last three games with a hamstring injury. He could return for West Ham but Football London say it all depends on how his return to training goes this week.
Brennan Johnson, Richarlison and Wilson Odobert are all potential doubts for Tottenham too. Ange Postecoglou will have to make late calls on them.
Fullkrug was not the only worry for the Hammers on the injury front, though.
Major relief as missing West Ham duo return for Spurs
Two other absolutely fundamental West Ham players were absent from training post Ipswich, sparking fears they would miss the Tottenham game.
But there’s major relief as the top West Ham duo return for the Spurs clash after missing training.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka and captain Jarrod Bowen were nowhere to be seen in training at Rush Green.
Bowen put in a brilliant performance with a goal and two assists against Ipswich. He makes West Ham tick.
But he was furious with fellow former Hull star Jacob Greaves after a painful foul on him last time out.
Bowen was seen limping after the challenge and at the end of the game. So there was obvious concern when he was in training ahead of Spurs away.
Wan-Bissaka has been a revelation since signing for £15m from Man United.
He too was seen walking gingerly after Ipswich and was missing from training last week.
There is great news for Lopetegui, though, as both Bowen and Wan-Bissaka are back ahead of the visit to Tottenham.
West Ham posted pictures from training on the club’s Instagram and X accounts yesterday.
On Instagram stories, the Hammers uploaded shots of Wan-Bissaka being put through his paces at Rush Green.
Bowen could be spotted in one of the images too.
But for the avoidance of doubt, pictures of the vital Hammers skipper were also published on X.
West Ham will move above Tottenham in the fledgling Premier League table with a win.
The Hammers beat Spurs on their own patch last season.
Should history repeat itself, it would really ignite the Lopetegui era while piling pressure on Postecoglou.
Especially in the wake of reports Eddie Howe is being lined up as a potential replacement in north London.
Spurs vs West Ham will be screened live on TV on Saturday lunchtime.
But broadcaster TNT Sports has caused real controversy with a social media post ahead of the game.
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