Tottenham Hotspur v West Ham United
Carabao Cup fifth round, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Wednesday 22 December 2021, 7.45pm
West Ham United continue their quest for a first EFL Cup triumph when we travel to Tottenham Hotspur in the fifth round on Wednesday evening.
The Hammers are seeking to go one better than 1966 and 1981, when West Bromwich Albion and Liverpool edged the east Londoners out in the final, the latter in a replay.
This season, the Irons have already knocked Manchester United and Manchester City out, without conceding a single goal, by winning 1-0 at Old Trafford and then beating the holders on penalties following a goalless draw at London Stadium.
Spurs, meanwhile, won 3-2 on penalties following a 2-2 draw at Wolverhampton Wanderers in the third round before getting past Burnley 1-0 at Turf Moor in the fourth. Since then, the north London club has replaced Nuno with Italian Antonio Conte as manager.
Tottenham have won the EFL Cup four times previously, in 1971, 1973, 1999 and 2008 - the latter being their most-recent major trophy success.
Kick-off at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is at 7.45pm on Wednesday evening and will be broadcast live in the UK by Sky Sports.
Ticket News
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Travel News
Tottenham Hotspur have published a detailed guide for supporters traveling to and from Wednesday's tie, which you can access here.
The guide includes last train times from White Hart Lane, Northumberland Park and South Tottenham stations, and Underground services from Tottenham Hale and Seven Sisters.
Information is also given regarding queue management at the above stations and details of local bus services, including Shuttle Buses from Alexandra Palace and Wood Green stations to the stadium, as well as local road closures for fans planning to drive to the game.
COVID-19 Protocols
Supporters traveling to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium should familiarise themselves with the new protocols in place following the Government's introduction of its 'COVID-19 Autumn and Winter Plan B'.
Fans must declare their COVID status via completion of an online form no later than three hours before attending the match here.
Supporters must also be prepared to present a valid COVID pass (or international equivalent) or proof of a negative test result. Full details can be found here.
Any supporter unable to provide proof of their COVID status when asked by a steward will be denied entry to the stadium - spot checks at the stadium will be increased significantly under Plan B regulations.
How to follow the game
Wednesday's tie will be televised in the UK by Sky Sports Football, Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports UHD.
We will also be covering the game live with a blog and audio commentary on whufc.com and our Official Appand across our social media channels, with exclusive reaction to follow after the final whistle.
We will have highlights for you on whufc.com from 1am on Thursday 23 December.
Team news
West Ham boss David Moyes will definitely be without Vladimír Coufal, who will serve a one-match ban after being sent-off in the Premier League fixture at Arsenal last Wednesday evening.
Kurt Zouma (hamstring tendon), Angelo Ogbonna (knee) and Ryan Fredericks (groin) are also out, but full-backs Ben Johnson (hamstring) and Aaron Cresswell (back) are getting closer to making their respective returns.
Tottenham manager Antonio Conte will be without Argentina centre-back Cristian Romero (thigh).
Carabao Cup rules
Following a change to the rules for the Carabao Cup, each club can name nine substitutes, of which five can be used.
Clubs have three occasions during open play to make substitutions (excluding half-time), and multiple substitutions can be made during each occasion.
Each Club shall also be permitted to utilise up to two ‘concussion substitutes’ and/or two ‘additional substitutes’ (as appropriate) from those substitutes listed on the team sheet.
If the scores are level after 90 minutes, then the match will immediately be decided on penalties. No extra-time will be played.
VAR will not be in operation.
The Opposition
Tottenham Hotspur have had a mixed week so far, taking the lead, then falling behind and coming back to draw 2-2 with Liverpool in the Premier League on Sunday, then discovering they have been eliminated from the UEFA Conference League after being forced to forfeit their final group-stage tie with Rennes due to a COVID outbreak at the north London club.
Spurs have also had a mixed season, winning their opening three Premier League matches to see their new manager Nuno crowned Manager of the Month, then winning just two of the next nine and see the Portuguese depart at the start of November.
Into his place has stepped Antonio Conte, the former Italy midfielder and manager and ex-Juventus, Chelsea and Inter Milan boss who won Serie A last season with the latter.
Spurs have won four, drawn two and lost two since Conte's arrival, while three Premier League fixtures have also been postponed in addition to the aforementioned Europa League tie due to bad weather and COVID issues.
While circumstances have been challenging and their European challenge may be prematurely over, Tottenham have climbed to seventh in the Premier League table, while a derby with West Ham United will undoubtedly have their players, staff and supporters up for the cup on Wednesday evening!
Previous meetings
West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur have been drawn to face one another on eight previous occasions in the League/EFL Cup.
Both clubs have each won through on four occasions, including the most recent, a 3-1 fourth round win at London Stadium in October 2018.
Prior to that, West Ham came from 2-0 down to win 3-2 at Wembley in the fourth round in October 2017, with Andre Ayew (two) and Angelo Ogbonna getting the goals, and 1-0 down to win 2-1 at White Hart Lane in the fifth round in December 2013 thanks to Matt Jarvis and Modibo Maïga (pictured).
In October 2003, Spurs edged a fourth-round tie 1-0 at the Boleyn Ground, while the north Londoners also won a fifth-round replay 5-0 at White Hart Lane in February 1987.
Then FA Cup holders West Ham triumphed 1-0 on their way to the final in December 1981, when David Cross's goal settled a fifth-round tie at the Boleyn Ground in the Second Division side's favour.
November 1975 saw Spurs edge a fourth-round replay in extra-time in Upton Park, while Geoff Hurst's goal settled the first meeting in this competition between the two rivals, a second round tie at the Boleyn Ground played in September 1966, just a few weeks after his hat-trick had secured the FIFA World Cup for England!
Match Officials
Referee: Chris Kavanagh
Assistant Referees: Dan Cook & Peter Kirkup
Fourth Official: Robert Jones
Chris Kavanagh takes charge of a West Ham United fixture for the second time this season on Wednesday evening.
A member of the Manchester Football Association, Kavanagh is in his fourth season as a Select Group referee.
Born in Manchester in 1985, Kavanagh was 13 when he began his refereeing career, moving up through the non-league pyramid to the National League in 2012, aged 27.
Kavanagh was promoted to the Football League in 2014 before refereeing his first Premier League fixture between West Bromwich Albion and Southampton in April 2017.
In all, Kavanagh has refereed nearly 300 senior matches, including 91 Premier League games, UEFA Champions League and Europa League ties, friendly internationals, UEFA Euro 2020 qualifiers and UEFA Nations League ties.
Kavanagh’s first West Ham United appointment was the FA Cup fourth-round defeat at Wigan Athletic in January 2018. Since then, he has taken charge of 13 Premier League fixtures featuring the Hammers, with the most recent being the 4-1 win at Aston Villa on 31 October this year.