Relegation-threatened West Ham United and Everton take on each other, hoping to revive their respective fortunes in the Premier League.
Everton will visit the London Stadium to take on West Ham United in a fixture touted as a relegation dogfight, despite half the season left to play. Both teams are thoroughly struggling to get points on board, with the Hammers, in particular, needing to improve their home form.
Luck refuses to go West Ham United’s way, having managed to pick only a single point from their last seven games. Those lack of results has put the spotlight on David Moyes, with reports suggesting he could face the sack if the Hammers lose to Everton.
🚨| BREAKING: David Moyes faces the sack if West Ham United lose their Premier League relegation battle tie against Everton, but could immediately find himself installed as favourite to succeed Frank Lampard. Moyes has admirers at Everton.
[via @JBurtTelegraph] pic.twitter.com/8ubKTK7vjo
— Everton Extra (@Everton_Extra) January 18, 2023
Despite going on a previous run of six wins at the London Stadium, the Hammers have since lost four in a row here. They are yet to win a game since the restart, with the latest defeat coming against Wolves last Saturday. Moyes will have to build confidence in his squad to avoid further piling the pressure, possibly costing him the job.
Everton are no different from West Ham in the context of achieving results. The Toffees have managed only two points from their last seven games in the league. Unlike their Hammers, Frank Lampard’s side were eliminated from the FA Cup, and league results have proven difficult for the manager.
There is plenty of scrutiny on Lampard’s job, as there is a club-wide unrest directed at the board. Since their eventful draw against Manchester City, Everton have lost each of their last three games in all competitions, conceding eight goals in the process.
Last weekend, they were defeated by bottom-placed Southampton to pile more misery on Lampard’s shoulders. The manager also remains on the brink if results continue to go against the Toffees. The trip to the London Stadium is a tough one, but this is a must-win situation for Everton and West Ham.
Team News & Tactics
West Ham United
Maxwel Cornet remains absent for the Hammers and will be joined by Gianluca Scamacca on the sidelines. David Moyes has confirmed that the Italian international has a knee problem and may miss a few weeks. Thankfully, West Ham have made the timely signing of striker Danny Ings, who could make his full debut.
Our new man 🙌 pic.twitter.com/Pk0dfABz8B
— West Ham United (@WestHam) January 20, 2023
Alternatively, Moyes may bring Ings from the bench and give Michail Antonio a start instead of Scamacca. The Hammers will have a more attacking lineup in place, with Jarrod Bowen and Said Benrahma flanking the Jamaican international in a front three.
Craig Dawson may be moving clubs this month, so he may not feature in the squad. Angelo Ogbonna and Nayef Aguerd could form the central defensive partnership, with Vladimir Coufal and Aaron Cresswell being the full-backs.
Declan Rice will continue to hold the midfield together, with Lucas Paqueta and Tomas Soucek on either side. The Hammers are expected to keep an attacking shape as they look for goals to get results under their belt.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Fabianski; Coufal, Ogbonna, Aguerd, Cresswell; Paqueta, Rice, Soucek; Bowen, Antonio, Benrahma
Everton
Everton’s injury list will not change as four players remain absent from proceedings. Nathan Patterson, James Garner, Michael Keane, and Andros Townsend are those missing from action. Frank Lampard could continue with the same formation and lineup that featured against Southampton despite their loss.
💪 @jgarnerr96 and @andros_townsend are back on the pitch doing individual work. pic.twitter.com/C8fVIO2DO9
— Everton (@Everton) January 19, 2023
Ben Godfrey, Conor Coady, and James Tarkowski could form the back three. Lampard is yet to have a sure shot shape to his side, as the manager is often seen tinkering with it depending on the opposition. Considering West Ham’s expected shape to attack more, the back three seems more reliable for the Toffees.
Vitaliy Mykolenko and Seamus Coleman will play wing-backs. Idrissa Gueye and Amadou Onana are the main central midfielders, while Alex Iwobi likes to switch between central and advanced positions.
Demarai Gray may continue to partner Dominic Calvert-Lewin in a front two, with the latter yet to hit any goalscoring form this term. Amid Everton’s search for a striker, including Duvan Zapata, the latter needs to step up soon.
Probable lineup (3-5-2): Pickford; Godfrey, Coady, Tarkowski; Coleman, Iwobi, Gueye, Onana, Mykolenko; Gray, Calvert-Lewin
Key Stats
- West Ham have lost six of their last seven matches in the Premier League.
- West Ham United have lost their last four games in a row at the London Stadium.
- West Ham and Everton are in the longest winless run in the division.
- Everton have lost five of their last six matches in the Premier League.
- Everton have conceded at least two goals in five of their last six matches in the Premier League.
Player to Watch
Jarrod Bowen
‘Momentum is the big word. The last two games away have been tough away games
‘We have come away with a win and a draw. We’re moving in the right direction’
– Jarrod Bowen pic.twitter.com/4wnp8Mj7wE
— mark carlaw (@markcarlaw) January 13, 2023
Jarrod Bowen will not look back fondly at the current season as he continues to endure a difficult period. Ha has been a decent outlet in other competitions, but his lack of goalscoring has coincided with West Ham’s overall form. The Hammers cannot find goals, and the winger needs to step up his game now.
Bowen has managed two goals in the Premier League, with only one coming from open play. It shows a lack of confidence in the England international, something he needs to build from here on. A good performance against Everton could save David Moyes’s job and help West Ham out of their current slump.
Prediction
West Ham United 1-1 Everton
In last weekend’s game between relegation battlers Southampton and Everton, we could only predict a 1-1 draw. We are doing the same again with this one, as the Hammers and Toffees will likely share the points at the London Stadium.
The result may not prove enough for either manager, as both need a big win to lift their respective sides. However, as things stand, a win for either side may appear difficult, as these teams cannot score many goals to warrant a clear favourite.
