Everton and West Ham United will aim to return to winning ways when they face off at Goodison Park on Saturday.
The 2024/25 Premier League season resumes this weekend with Gameweek 29. The latest round of fixtures will begin on Saturday, with the action on the day kicking off with four simultaneous matches, including Everton vs West Ham United at Goodison Park.
David Moyes has taken Everton to a stable footing, with the Merseyside outfit barely losing any games in the Scottish manager’s second stint at Goodison Park. While the Toffees have won only four games thus far in their ten outings under Moyes, they have faced a defeat only twice. Meanwhile, the hosts have failed to emerge victorious in their three most recent Premier League outings.
On the other hand, West Ham United have made gradual progress under Graham Potter but have struggled for consistency in the last few weeks. The Hammers have won only three of their nine outings with the English tactician in charge while losing five matches. The latest setback was a 1-0 defeat to Newcastle United earlier this week.
The reverse fixture was a closely contested affair that ended in a goalless draw between Everton and West Ham United. The Hard Tackle looks closer at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Everton
David Moyes has no new injury concerns hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture. The Everton manager will be bereft of the services of five first-team players vs West Ham United on Saturday.
Iliman Ndiaye is the latest absentee as he recovers from a knee injury that will keep him on the sidelines until next month. The Senegalese international accompanies Orel Mangala (knee), Dwight McNeil (knee), Dominic Calvert-Lewin (hamstring), and Armando Broja (ankle) in the treatment room.
Jordan Pickford should take his spot between the sticks, with Everton lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him vs West Ham United on Saturday. The backline will likely feature Jake O’Brien, James Tarkowski, Jarrad Branthwaite, and Vitaliy Mykolenko.
As for the midfield unit, there is no looking past James Garner and Idrissa Gueye in the double pivot. Abdoulaye Doucoure will reprise the no. 10 role, with Jesper Lindstrom and Jack Harrison being the two wide attackers. Finally, Beto will lead the line for Everton against West Ham United on Saturday.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Pickford; O’Brien, Tarkowski, Branthwaite, Mykolenko; Garner, Gueye; Lindstrom, Doucoure, Harrison; Beto
West Ham United
Like his counterpart in the Everton dugout, Graham Potter has no new issues to worry about ahead of the trip to Goodison Park. The West Ham United manager will be without four first-team players on Saturday.
Vladimir Coufal and Niclas Fullkrug are close to returning from their hamstring injuries. However, Saturday’s game has come too soon for the duo. Meanwhile, Crysencio Summerville (thigh) and Michail Antonio remain on the sidelines.
Alphonse Areola is an automatic pick between the sticks, with West Ham United lining up in a 3-5-2 formation in front of him vs Everton on Saturday. The central defensive unit should feature Jean-Clair Todibo, Max Kilman, and Aaron Cresswell, while Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Oliver Scarles will be the two wing-backs.
The wide duo will provide width in the final third and support the centre-backs in the defensive phases. As for the midfield unit, Tomas Soucek, Edson Alvarez, and James Ward-Prowse should pair up in the middle of the park. Finally, Mohammed Kudus and Jarrod Bowen will be the two central attackers for the away side.
Probable Lineup (3-5-2): Areola; Todibo, Kilman, Cresswell; Wan-Bissaka, Soucek, Alvarez, Ward-Prowse, Scarles; Kudus, Bowen
Key Stats
- Everton have not scored more than once in their last ten Premier League games vs West Ham United (6 in total), with the reverse fixture in November ending goalless. The Hammers have won four of their six most recent Premier League away games against Everton (L2), more than they had in their first 22 visits to Goodison Park in the competition (W3 D5 L14).
- Everton are unbeaten in their last eight Premier League games (W4 D4), their longest since a run of nine between December 2016 and February 2017 under Ronald Koeman.
- West Ham United have failed to score in 37.5 per cent of their Premier League games under Graham Potter (3/8), compared to 20 per cent under Julen Lopetegui (4/20). They also average only 9.3 shots per game under Potter, compared to 14.6 under Lopetegui in the top flight.
- Everton have drawn 12 Premier League games this season, more than any other side, including their last three outings. The Toffees last drew four successive league games in September 2022 and most recently drew more in a league campaign in 2015/16 (14).
- David Moyes has never won in seven Premier League meetings with Graham Potter (D5 L2). The Scotsman has only faced Pep Guardiola more times without winning in the Premier League (13).
Player to Watch
Mohammed Kudus
While Jarrod Bowen, Beto, and Abdoulaye Doucoure were viable candidates for this section, we have picked Mohammed Kudus as our Player to Watch for Saturday’s Premier League game between Everton and West Ham United at Goodison Park.
The Ghanaian international has attempted more dribbles than any other player in the Premier League in the 2024/25 season (142). Kudus has also been dispossessed more times than any other player this term (70). So, Graham Potter will hope the 24-year-old attacker does not bring his two sides to Saturday’s outing and instead rises to the occasion.
Prediction
Everton 1-0 West Ham United
West Ham United’s struggles to find the back of the net might lead to a game without much goalmouth action this weekend. The Toffees have not been prolific either, and the midfield battle will dictate the direction Saturday’s Premier League game takes.
Meanwhile, David Moyes will be eager to prove his former employers wrong, and he should mastermind a narrow victory this weekend. The Hard Tackle predicts a 1-0 win for Moyes and his charges.
