Antonio Conte has already been handed a major boost for Tottenham's London derby against West Ham on Sunday following the Hammers' Europa League qualification. The Irons beat Sevilla 2-0 in the second leg of the European competitions round of 16 on Thursday night, securing their spot in the quarter final.
The East London side would've been in full celebration after their victory, which meant they went through with an aggregate score of 2-1. However, they now have just a few days to prepare before their trip to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday.
Conte's side also got a win in their midweek game, which was a trip to the AMEX Stadium, where they beat Brighton 2-0. This got the Lilywhites a much needed three points on the table and also means they will have had an extra day of preparation.
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The two London sides currently sit level on points in the Premier League and although West Ham are a position above on goal difference, Spurs have a game in hand. Sunday's match is a crucial game for both teams as they are still in and amongst the ongoing battle for a top four spot.
That is why an extra days preparation could be pivotal for Conte, as extra rest has already shown to work in Tottenham's favour. Spurs will be hoping to end their win one game and lose the next trend, which has followed a perfect pattern (apart from on one occasion) throughout 2022 so far.
Moyes' pre match press conference took place before the Italian's and he was asked about Declan Rice, who appeared to be limping in their Europa League fixture. "We have a few limping but you expect that from a tough game and we'll assess them all this morning and see how they are," the Irons boss admitted. "It's a bit early to know a lot about the team."
Although Conte would've been pleased with their qualification, they had to endure an extra 30 minutes of football as the game went to extra time, which is far from ideal when you have another match a few days later. This will inevitably mean tiredness for players and especially at this stage of the season, it could be a boost for Conte and his Tottenham squad, if some of Moyes' players aren't feeling as fresh.
The 58-year-old was also asked about the extra day's rest that the Lilywhites will have had. "We're a resilient group of players and we hope that we'll all be fine and we'll go again," he explained.
"I think an extra day would help anybody, but we're pleased we're in the Europa League and that we've qualified. I'd have taken that any day and now we'll get ready for the Tottenham game."
West Ham played a solid game at the London Stadium on Thursday night but you could see as the game wore on it became more difficult to keep up that same momentum throughout. Could that extra half an hour have pushed them over the edge and given them a disadvantage going into Sunday's tie?
Only time will tell but Conte will be hoping the hard work that is expected from his Tottenham players will give them the advantage they need to secure a much needed three points in this weekend's London derby.
