- West Ham play Everton on Saturday afternoon
- A win could see the Hammers five points above the drop zone if Tottenham Hotspur lose
- Everton need to win to keep their European hopes alive
West Ham United host Everton looking to make another step towards safety. The Hammers drew 0-0 with Crystal Palace on Monday night to go two points clear of the bottom three but know they need to keep their good form going to stay in the Premier League this season.
Nuno Espirito Santo’s team have only lost one of their last five home games and are beginning to make the London Stadium a stronghold for their survival fight. After beating Wolverhampton Wanderers 4-0 in their last home game the West Ham team are determined to go one better. The Hammers looked strong defensively on Monday night and now they need to find the net at the top end of the pitch.
Everton need to win to keep their European hopes alive. The Toffees head to London on the back of a difficult Merseyside derby that saw them lose defender Jarrad Branthwaite for the rest of the season. David Moyes returns to the Hammers looking to not only get one over his former side, but find a way to get Everton back up the table.
Key Statistics
- West Ham have conceded 57 goals this season, eight more than Everton but both team’s have scored just 40 goals.
- Everton sit just two points behind Brighton & Hove Albion in sixth, but only themselves and Chelsea have lost their last match.
- West Ham sit two points above the relegation zone with five Premier League fixtures remaining.
- Everton sit 10th in the table but rank 15th in the xG standings.
- Eight of the last meetings between West Ham and Everton have produced under 2.5 goals.
- West Ham have scored seven goals in their last five games in all competitions.
Prediction
Here, a handful of our writer’s give their prediction for the game…
Matt Bottomley
“West Ham looked strong on the defensive side of the ball once again on Monday night, but could not make things click up top. That, in itself is a problem for the Hammers but something they are working to address. Valentin Castellanos and Pablo Felipe are working tirelessly but need to make things count and this game is one of those.
Everton are in a make or break period. The Toffees have overperformed all year but injuries are starting to catch up with the team. The Irons have to see this as an opportunity to keep the pressure on Spurs. They did not take the chance against Crystal Palace, they have to on Saturday.
“I see this one as a game that could go either way, but I have it ending as a draw again with the Hammers not taking enough chances.”
Prediction: West Ham 1-1 Everton
