Everton vs West Ham United

Goodison Park sets the stage for a high-stakes Premier League showdown between Everton and West Ham United.

Everton’s appeal came to fruition earlier this week, as an independent commission reduced their ten-point deduction for breaching PSR rules to six, propelling them to 15th in the table, five points clear of the bottom three. However, the Toffees’ top-flight survival is far from a foregone conclusion, especially if their disastrous nine-game winless league run continues this weekend (D5, L4). With four of their last five Premier League matches ending level, there’s a feeling their barren run is coming to a close, yet it’s worth noting they’re still without a league win at Goodison in 2024. Halting that negative trend would see Sean Dyche’s side pull off their first Premier League double over West Ham since 2014/15 following a 1-0 win in the reverse fixture.

Determined to avoid that feat, West Ham will take the field in a buoyant mood after Lucas Paqueta’s long-awaited return from injury inspired them to a 4-2 home triumph against Brentford earlier this week. After arresting a six-game winless league streak (D3, L3), David Moyes’ men take this trip in pursuit of their first top-flight win on the road in 2024 (D1, L2). Worryingly for the veteran coach, his charges conceded 2+ goals in all those three away matches. Against this backdrop, West Ham had registered back-to-back away shutouts against Everton (W2) before a narrow 1-0 loss in this corresponding match-up last term. With each of those three encounters yielding a 1-0 scoreline, a low-scoring contest could be in store, something West Ham wouldn’t mind if they could reduce a five-point deficit on sixth-placed Manchester United.