West Ham United host relegation-threatened Everton in the Premier League at 2pm on Sunday, as the Hammers aim to close in on the top six once again.
David Moyes’ side will look to climb up the Premier League table into 5th, ahead of Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur, when they play Frank Lampard’s Toffees in east London./
Following a lengthy international break, the squad should be ready and raring to go for this match – especially after a disappointing 3-1 defeat to Spurs last time out.
West Ham now currently sit 7th in the table, but also have a Europa League quarter-final against Lyon to think about just four days after. However, former Toffees manager David Moyes will be keen to close the gap on the top six regardless.
Everton, on the other hand, are in worrying territory, just three points above the drop zone in 17th. One win from their last six matches, including a 4-0 thrashing at the hands of Crystal Palace in their last outing, leaves Lampard in serious danger.
Despite having two games in hand over the rest of the relegation-threatened teams, this will be an important match for the Toffees and they will also be fighting for their lives in this game.
Team news
The Hammers might be boosted by the return of Jarrod Bowen for this weekend’s game, after having almost a month off due to a foot injury.
Angelo Ogbonna is still a long term absentee, despite returning to light workouts this week after a serious knee injury but Vladimir Coufal could also return to the side for this match.
Everton have no new injury updates but could see defender Yerry Mina return to the squad after being out since February. Fabian Delph might also return but Tom Davies remains sidelined as a long-term absentee.
Prediction
West Ham United 2 – 1 Everton
Despite Everton’s poor run of form, this will still be a difficult test for David Moyes’ former side and West Ham could face a revitalised and motivated team that are fighting for scraps down the bottom.
However, with this in mind the Hammers should still come away here with all three points – especially if they want to keep in touch with the top-six sides.
A win here will be excellent for West Ham and put them in good stead for the latter stages of the season, especially with the Europa League to consider going forward.