Well, this is gonna be a big game, probably much bigger than you may imagine! Why? Because West Ham are in a desperate need of points – they have zero right now. And also because Everton will miss plenty of key men on Sunday afternoon. But, Everton will play in front of their own crowd at the Goodison Park, where they’ve always been powerful. So, what should you bet on? Find out in this Everton vs West Ham match preview!
Everton
Toffees seem like a team that has every right to hope for a high finish. They definitely have the manpower to compete for a spot in Europe, not to mention that their manager is a talented strategist who knows how to lead his men in big matches.
The problems is that Marco Silva has a limited number of player he can choose for this game. His top scorer, Richairlison is out due to a suspension, while a number of players are gonna miss the match because of injuries.
Nevertheless, the remaining squad also does seem strong enough to compete against disastrous West Ham. Especially because the clash is taking place at Everton’s Goodison Park. The 40k-seater is the place where the Toffees have always been playing well. Actually, they’ve lost only one Premier League game at their turf in 2018. And that loss happened in March when they played against Manchester City.
West Ham
The Hammers do have a decent squad, at least decent enough not to be hammered to the bottom of the table. They also have a good coach, who used to manage big-name clubs like Real Madrid and Manchester City. But, if Manuel Pellegrini loses another game, he might get sacked by West Ham board of directors.
Actually, Pellegrini’s boys simply mustn’t lose the game against Everton, as their next two Premier League matches are against Chelsea and Manchester United. That means that potentially West Ham could end up with 7 defeats in a row. And with zero points after a sixth of the season has passed, relegation would seem like their future.
But, to be fair to West Ham, they were pretty unlucky in the previous four rounds. For example, the match with Wolves was one they really could’ve avoid losing. In some parts of the game, they were the better side and that can be said for their performances against the other teams as well.
More than two weeks have passed since the Hammers lost to Wolves, which was plenty of time for Pellegrini to come up with a good tactic to face Everton. And the international break has certainly done well for the players of West Ham, helping them calm down and forget about the unfortunate start of the season.
Team News
Everton absentees:
- Richarlison (suspension)
- Phil Jagielka (injury)
- Bernard (injury)
- Michael Keane (injury)
- Andre Gomes (injury)
- Idrissa Gueye (injury)
- Jamie McCarthy (injury)
- Beni Baningime (injury)
West Ham absentees:
- Andy Carroll (injury)
- Manuel Lanzini (injury)
- Winston Reid (injury)
Possible Lineups
Everton
Pickford – Holgate, Mina, Coleman, Digne – Davies, Schneiderlin, Sigurdsson – Walcott, Calvert-Lewin, Tosun
West Ham
Fabianski – Balbuena, Ogbonna, Fredericks, Masuaku – Sanchez, Noble, Felipe Anderson, Snodgrass, Antonio – Arnautovic
Everton vs West Ham Match Prediction
Everton’s manager Marco Silva will be able to pick decent starting eleven, but he’s gonna lose his nerves when the time for substitutions comes. Especially if his midfielders get tired. In such scenario, he’ll probably have to bring in some of the players who aren’t yet 100% fit. And of course, that’s something Pellegrini will try to take advantage of. Will he manage? I think yes!
Everton vs West Ham Betting Tips
- West Ham @3.90 (bet365)
- HT-FT X-2 @8.50 (Unibet)