West Ham United vs Everton

, 20 September, 0comments  |  Jump to most recent
Match Preview

With fresh impetus provided by the impressive victory over Chelsea, Everton head south for the first of two games in London, starting with a Premier League clash with West Ham United at Upton Park. The Blues won in the League for the first time under Roberto Martinez last Saturday thanks to Steven Naismith's first-half header and now the Spaniard goes in search of a first victory away from Goodison Park after two away draws so far.

Darron Gibson makes the trip after finally being passed fit following a knee injury that has sidelined him for the past seven weeks, though with his manager admitting earlier this week that he is short on match fitness, it's unlikely he will start. That honour will likely go to Gareth Barry who made an excellent debut last week, and given that Leon Osman had arguably his best game of the campaign so far, James McCarthy might have to settle for a place on the bench again.

Steven Pienaar is rated as 50-50 but will almost certainly not be risked, giving Naismith another chance to impress alongside the impressive Ross Barkley and the mercurial Kevin Mirallas in the more attacking midfield roles.

No changes are expected in the back five — all of Howard, Coleman, Distin, Jagielka and Baines are fit and in fine form — which leaves the one selection question around which there is so much anticipation among Evertonians; namely who starts up front now that Romelu Lukaku is eligible.

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Nikica Jelavic has yet to score this season but Martinez was careful to single him out for his contributions to the team in his pre-match press conferece, not least his superb assist for the goal that beat Chelsea. It would not be surprising to see the Croatian start against the Hammers, with Lukaku likely to get a run-out off the bench in the second half and then be handed his first start against Fulham in the League Cup next week. Arouna Kone is fit but lacking match sharpness and would be a surprise inclusion in the starting XI.

West Ham come into this one lying a point and a place behind Everton in the table, having won one, drawn two and lost their last home game, 1-0 against Stoke City. Sam Allardyce claims that he has got Martinez's side figured out and that he can nullify their threat down the flanks but the Blues will have their tails up after beating highly-fancied Chelsea and will be looking to re-establish their dominance in possession.

In view of heightened expectations after last weekend, how Everton go about their business in this game and the end result will say a lot about the team's prospects this season. Certainly, if they are to be a force to be reckoned with in the chase for Europe, victory against a team they would expect to beat, even away from home, is a requirement.

Kick off: 3pm
Referee: Lee Mason

 



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