There is no love lost between West Ham and rivals Spurs but there may well be a truce called in north London this evening.
Both West Ham and Tottenham Hotspur have bigger rivals in London.
But the dislike between the Hammers and Spurs has grown ever stronger down the years.
West Ham don’t like Tottenham and vice versa.
And that rivalry only intensifies with every meeting of the two.
West Ham have had Tottenham’s number in recent years with the 2-1 win in north London this season the latest case in point.
For one night only, though, there could be a truce called. Certainly from Tottenham’s perspective.
Because Spurs should be cheering on West Ham against Freiburg regardless of the rivalry.
West Ham are looking to make the quarter-finals of European competition for a third consecutive season.
Tottenham’s Champions League hopes in Hammers hands
The Hammers welcome Germans Freiburg to the London Stadium.
And Tottenham fans have a big reason to keep a keen eye on the outcome.
Spurs are gunning for a Champions League spot this season while West Ham are looking to secure a third top six or seven finish in four seasons to secure Europe again too.
And Tottenham’s fate could well rest in West Ham’s hands.
David Moyes’ side must overturn a 1-0 first leg deficit to make the last eight of the Europa League.
Hammers have it all to do against Freiburg
West Ham must win by two clear goals to avoid penalties.
Many Spurs fans found themselves wanting bitter rivals Arsenal to beat Porto on Tuesday night.
Two days later they should be willing the Hammers on too.
Because if Moyes’ side progress at the expense of the Bundesliga outfit, then it will make it much more likely that fifth place in the Premier League will be rewarded with a place in the new bumper Champions League.
BBC Sport has explained all the permutations in depth.
But the key point is that if West Ham were to eliminate Freiburg, then – like Arsenal – they would secure three points in UEFA’s tally system to allocate an extra place to two top flight leagues.
Why Spurs should want West Ham to beat Germans
The gap between the Prem in third place and Bundesliga in second at the start of this week was 0.875 in the coefficient. And while the outcome of West Ham’s match with Freiburg will not be definitive, whoever wins puts their country into a very strong position.
And Spurs could be the big beneficiaries.
Because the spot would go to the team finishing fifth in the table, below clubs who had already qualified for the Champions League. If the table stayed as it is, that would be Tottenham.
It would also likely push the Europa League and Conference League places down meaning eighth or even ninth could be enough for West Ham themselves to make Europe again.
