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Tottenham vs. West Ham preview: 5 keys to the match

By Rucker Haringey

LONDON, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 22: Harry Kane of Tottenham Hotspur shoots at goal during the Barclays Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United at White Hart Lane on November 22, 2015 in London, England. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 22: Harry Kane of Tottenham Hotspur shoots at goal during the Barclays Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United at White Hart Lane on November 22, 2015 in London, England. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images) /
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LONDON, ENGLAND – FEBRUARY 02: Gabriel Agbonlahor of Aston Villa and Winston Reid of West Ham United compete for the ball during the Barclays Premier League match between West Ham United and Aston Villa at the Boleyn Ground on February 2, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – FEBRUARY 02: Gabriel Agbonlahor of Aston Villa and Winston Reid of West Ham United compete for the ball during the Barclays Premier League match between West Ham United and Aston Villa at the Boleyn Ground on February 2, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images) /

3. Winston Reid vs. Harry Kane

Stopping a world-class attacker like Harry Kane never comes down to just one man, but for West Ham Winston Reid will have to shoulder a great deal of the responsibility. The New Zealand defender has been excellent for his club this season, and they’ll need him to keep up his form against the Tottenham talisman.

The bad news for West Ham fans is that Reid hasn’t featured for the club since going off injured against Liverpool on February 9th. It was rumored that he was available to start versus Sunderland this past weekend, but he didn’t appear. That tells me that Bilic was saving him to battle Kane for a full 90 minutes.

When fit, Reid has been his club’s best defender. His Whoscored.com rating of 7.25 in 15 Premier League matches makes him West Ham’s third-highest rated player. He’ll need to play up to that level to keep Kane off the score sheet.

Kane’s eye for goal certainly isn’t a secret any longer. He’s found the back of the net 16 times in the Premier League this season and will be keen to find his 17th goal today. If Reid isn’t fit or in form, he could be dominated by the English international. It’s a match-up that West Ham at least need to draw if they intend on winning the match.

Next: 2. Dimitri Payet's magic

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