West Ham United v Everton preview: Team news, head-to-head, where to watch, line-ups, prediction
Everton will travel to face West Ham United in the Premier League on Saturday as Sean Dyche goes in search of a win to ease the pressure on his future.
The Blues boss is under intense scrutiny at Goodison Park following the 1-0 loss to Southampton and he will go head-to-head with Julen Lopetegui’s side knowing anything less than three points could spell an end to his tenure on Merseyside [talkSPORT].
Preview
The match at the London Stadium is set to provide fireworks with Dyche and Lopetegui fighting for their lives in the Premier League.
Dyche cannot afford to be dragged back into another relegation battle this year and defeat on Saturday paired with an unlikely Ipswich Town victory against Tottenham would leave the Toffees one point clear of the drop zone.
While Dan Friedkin may decide to take the Blues in a new direction at the end of the season, Dyche must focus on ensuring he is still at the helm to see out what could be his final year on Merseyside.
However, Lopetegui will be facing a potentially greater battle in East London to inspire his depleted side to fight for the Spaniard in what has proved to be an equally underwhelming season for West Ham.
Everton could leapfrog the Hammers with a victory at the London Stadium – only two points separate the sides, this result could dramatically change the relegation landscape in the top flight, a third of the way into the campaign.
The Blues have managed one victory on the road this year, the 2-0 win against Ipswich Town at Portman Road, and will need to match that emphatic display to get the better of a West Ham side who can just easily turn up on Saturday and steamroll the visitors.
Form Guide [Premier League]
West Ham United: LWLWD
Everton: LDWDW
Head-to-Head [all competitions]
Everton 1-3 West Ham United [2 March, 2024]
West Ham United 0-1 Everton [29 October, 2023]
West Ham United 2-0 Everton [21 January, 2023]
Everton 1-0 West Ham United [18 September, 2022]
West Ham United 2-1 Everton [3 April, 2022]
Team News
Jarrad Branthwaite should be in line to return to the starting lineup for Everton after his shock omission from the side that lost to Southampton last weekend.
James Garner, Tim Iroegbunam, Youssef Chermiti and Armando Broja remain long-term injury absentees for the Blues whereas, Seamus Coleman is the latest to be ruled out for Saturday after the full-back sustained a fresh hamstring issue.
However, Abdoulaye Doucoure will be in contention to feature in East London following his absence last weekend.
For West Ham, Mohammed Kudus will be missing as he continues to serve his FA ban for violent conduct and Edson Alvarez will also miss out due to suspension after his red card in the 3-0 loss against Nottingham Forest.
Niclas Fullkrug remains a long-term absentee for the hosts whereas, Tomas Soucek and Alphonse Areola are in contention to return to the side on Saturday.
Predicted lineups
West Ham United: Fabianski, Wan-Bissaka, Mavropanos, Todibo, Kilman, Emerson, Rodriguez, Paqueta, Bowen, Summerville, Antonio
Everton: Pickford, Young, Tarkowski, Branthwaite, Mykolenko, Doucoure, Gueye, Lindstrom, McNeil, Ndiaye, Calvert-Lewin
Where to watch?
The match at the London Stadium kicks off at 3pm GMT on 9 November and will not be broadcast live in the UK. For fans outside of the UK, the match will be broadcast live on beIN Sports.
Prediction: West Ham United 1-2 Everton
While the overriding consensus is West Ham’s inconsistent home form will cancel out Everton’s woeful form on the road, Dyche needs this far more than Lopetegui.
Yes, the Spaniard is also facing a now-or-never clash to save his future in East London however, he has been at the helm a matter of months whereas Dyche, is fighting to ensure two-years of hard work is not tarnished with another defeat.
The Blues squad has a sense of togetherness and fight that is lacking south down the M62 and when push comes to shove, Everton have enough grit to grind out what would be a monumental result for Dyche.
However, West Ham will prove to be a difficult challenge and while they will be expected to dominate the majority of the proceedings at the London Stadium, the Toffees are more than capable of edging out a hard-fought victory.
In other Everton news, Asmir Begovic shares his Goodison Park admission.
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