Following the staggering comeback against Huddersfield last time out, West Ham will look to secure another three points in their challenge for Europe this season, which is still attainable for the Hammers, albeit somewhat unlikely.
The Hammers see a visit from fellow chasers, Everton, where two points separate the sides in the league.
Form doesn’t split the two sides either, with West Ham taking nine points in their last five, compared to Everton’s seven. With that in mind, if home and away form is to be taken into consideration, this would make the Hammers favourites, with the London Stadium providing a more favourable setting for West Ham this season, and Everton looking shaky on the road.
Manuel Pellegrini will have concerns over the squad, with the comeback over Huddersfield just covering the cracks of what in truth, was an abysmal performance to the worst side in the league. Conceding three goals at home to a team that had only previously scored more than one goal on just one occasion all season showed glaring issues in the Hammers’ defence.
Meanwhile, striker Marko Arnautovic’s performances have been sub-par, and Javier Hernandez made another case for himself to get the nod after coming off the bench to score twice in seven minutes. Yet questions can be raised over his effectiveness off the bench versus as a starter, giving Pellegrini a tricky task of selecting the best starting XI to face Everton.
Here is the starting XI I believe Pellegrini will select against Everton on Saturday:
