Can Slaven Bilic avoid triggering the managerial guillotine when West Ham take on Tottenham in the EFL Cup, at 8pm on Sky Sports Football?

It’s arguably somewhat of a surprise that Bilic is still in charge of the Hammers given how they fared at the weekend – after all, Ronald Koeman has been given the boot and Everton have exactly the same Premier League record as West Ham (not to mention the vastly different 2016/17s had by Bilic and Koeman).



Saturday was arguably the worst West Ham have been this season. A 4-0 loss at Old Trafford? Sort of understandable. A 3-0 defeat to Newcastle? Less so, but at least it was away from home. The same result against Brighton – who, remember, are in the midst of their first ever season of Premier League football – at the London Stadium? Well, even Bilic must have been shocked to exit the weekend still employed.

Instead reports suggest the Croatian has been given 2 games to save his job; tonight’s tricky trip to Wembley, and Saturday’s eminently winnable – unless you’re Chelsea – game against Crystal Palace. While Bilic may be missing Michael Antonio, he will have Andy Carroll back from suspension, the lanky forward at the same 14-18 Super Mega PGM spread as Diafra Sakho and Javier Hernandez.

Though, to be honest, Bilic’s main concern might not being up front, but at the back. The Hammers have the joint 4th worst defence in the league; only Man United and Man City, meanwhile, have scored more goals than Tottenham. That strength was in full force on Sunday, as Spurs humiliated Liverpool with a 4-1 victory, further putting behind them the Wembley curse that plagued the club at the start of the season.

Admittedly Tottenham might not be quite as explosive up front this Wednesday, as they’re resting Harry Kane ahead of the weekend’s trip to Manchester United. That gives the 32-year old Fernando Llorente, signed from Swansea over the summer, a chance to impress. He sits at a Super Mega PGM of 57-67, ahead of both Dele Alli (at 41-48) and Son Heung-Min (at 31-37).

Last time these two sides met it was a feisty affair, with 6 yellow cards, a red for Serge Aurier, and a near comeback from the Hammers, who reduced Spurs’ 3-0 lead to just 3-2 late in the second half. Things might not be as tight this time around, however, with Spreadex offering a Tottenham/West Ham Goal Supremacy spread of 1.15-1.35 alongside a Total Goals spread of 2.95-3.15 (and a relatively tame Bookings spread of 38-42).