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Saturday, 23 September 2017 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
Reuters: West Ham United must recall positive memories from previous encounters against Tottenham Hotspur to claim a third straight home win over their London rivals, manager Slaven Bilic has said.
West Ham beat Tottenham 1-0 at home last year and a win by the same score in May effectively ended the title hopes of Mauricio Pochettino’s side.
Bilic, whose side have one win from five games, said his players had to repeat the patterns of play from their last clash when the two teams meet at the London Stadium in the Premier League on Saturday.
“Everyone involved talks for months (about those games) and we still remember the game in May and the one at Upton Park, so those are the patterns we want to repeat on Saturday,” Bilic told the club’s website.
“We ended their hopes of winning the league but it gives us no psychological advantage. But the advantage comes when you remember good memories and good patterns to repeat what we have actually already done against that team,” he added.
Pochettino, whose Tottenham side are fifth in the standings on eight points from five games, said the West Ham clash was massive for both the team and the fans.
“A derby, just like when we play Arsenal or Chelsea, is not only a game. It’s more than a football game. It’s emotional, you play for your pride and we understand what it means for our fans – we share the same feelings,” he told Tottenham’s website.
Pochettino also said midfielder Mousa Dembele, who played in the midweek League Cup win over Barnsley, would see limited action as he continued to recover from foot surgery.
West Ham are looking for their second win of the season. They began the campaign with three straight losses, before beating Huddersfield 2-0 and drawing with West Bromwich Albion last week.
