Spurs’ West Ham revenge mission promises under 2.5 goal austerity

Revenge is a dished best served cold, but while punters may fancy they hear Spurs bellies rumbling ahead of West Ham’s return to White Hart Lane in the Capital One Cup, they may have to prepare for a diet portion, with Under 2.5 goals foreseen in the fixture.

Tottenham are hot favourites at 1/2, with the draw 3/1 and the Hammers afforded generous win odds of 7/1 as the attempt to record consecutive victories against their London rivals.

While the visitors’ injury-ravaged first-team regiment will likely struggle to topple the Lilywhites’ diamond-studded irregulars again, the hosts’ own lack of cutting edge suggest this one could be a low-scoring affair.

Under 2.5 total match goals can be backed as the over/under outsider at 6/5, an early Christmas gift from the Coral traders.

Spurs have scored more than twice in just one of their 18 meetings with Premier League rivals since the departure of Gareth Bale and that came away from home.

They may have the blood of Andre Villas-Boas on their hands and a reaction to the Portuguese’s termination, but Tottenham’s out of tune ensemble can hardly be expected to turn on the pomp against a side of typically Allardycian obdurateness.

West Ham have conceded a goal or less in seven of their nine outings away from home comforts in 2013/14.

Happily for the purposes of our punting ploy the Hammers have less teeth than your average pensioner, scoring more than once on only two occasions away from home this term.

As a result six of the Hammers nine away games this term – including the League Cup visit to Burnley – shimmied south of the 2.5 goals barrier, with the aforementioned Turf Moor trip the only one of the sextet not to limbo the 1.5 goal line.

In addition West Ham have a proud record of denying Tottenham goals that runs at odds with the relief with which their White Hart Lane victory was greeted.

Spurs have netted just six times in the sides’ last six Premier League meetings, with the Irons shutting them out on four occasions.