Everton boss Marco Silva will be hoping the international break has given his players a much-needed layoff from the Premier League.
The Toffees have registered 4 consecutive defeats in the league, and this dismal run of form has seen them slip into the relegation zone.
West Ham travel to Goodison Park in Saturday’s early kick-off, hoping to remain within touching distance of the European places.
.@_DeclanRice is ready for Everton 💪— West Ham United (@WestHam) October 17, 2019
.@_DeclanRice is ready for Everton 💪
The Hammers come into this match on the back of a 2-1 defeat to Crystal Palace, and will be eager to bounce back, having not won in their previous 3 matches in all competitions.
However, West Ham’s promising start to the season has set them up nicely, and the Hammers currently sit 8th in the table, just 4 points behind second-place Manchester City.
They have only lost 2 of their 8 league games this term and have picked up impressive wins over Manchester United, Norwich City, and Watford.
West Ham have been rusty at the back in recent games. They have conceded 8 goals in their last 3 matches in all competitions and manager Manuel Pellegrini will be desperate to improve his side’s poor defensive record.
However, Everton have defensive problems of their own. The Toffees have failed to keep a clean sheet in their last 6 Premier League matches and have conceded 2 or more goals in 6 of their last 8 games in all competitions.
With that being said, Everton’s attack has also not been good enough. Just 2 Premier League sides have scored fewer goals than Everton this season.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin has scored the majority of his team’s goals this term, netting 4 in his last 4 appearances. He is likely to keep fellow striker Moise Kean out of the starting line-up.
As for West Ham, Andriy Yarmolenko is their dangerman. He has scored 3 goals in his last 5 appearances, and also scored twice against Everton last season.
Everton beat West Ham 2-0 in their most recent meeting, but the Hammers registered back-to-back 3-1 victories over the Toffees in 2018. This trend looks set to continue on Saturday.
Everton are enduring a wretched run of form, so West Ham will be full of confidence heading into this clash.
Forebet predicts that West Ham will get the better of Everton in a high-scoring encounter.