West Ham United will take on Everton in the Premier League this weekend, hoping to continue their surprising Champions League push. They are currently fifth in the table, 3 points behind Chelsea, who play Manchester City on Saturday. If results go their way, both the Hammers and the Blues will finish the weekend on the same number of points.
A defeat to Chelsea two weeks ago provided a hammer blow to West Ham United’s Champions League qualification hopes. The fact that David Moyes’ men were in the running to make it to the group stages of the European Cup was a surprise on its own. However, despite losing ground in the qualification race, the Hammers aren’t out just yet. A win against Everton could see them go back level on points with their London rivals, provided Manchester City beat them on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Everton are hoping to secure qualification to Europe themselves. The Toffees are eighth in the league, two points behind Liverpool with the same number of matches played. However, they do have two games in hand over the sixth-placed Tottenham and can overtake them if they win both of their matches. Carlo Ancelotti’s side will hope to finish as high as possible, allowing them a chance to at least qualify for the UEFA Europa League. UCL qualification isn’t completely out of the picture yet, although it is doubtful that the Toffees finish in the top four this season.
The two teams will meet on Sunday with a lot at stake. A win for either side at this stage of the season could be pivotal, especially for their European hopes. Both teams have a slightly easy run of fixtures after this match. West Ham are scheduled to play Brighton, WBA, and Southampton in their final three matches of the season. Everton will take on Sheffield United and Wolves subsequently before finishing their season away at Manchester City.
Key Players
After a stunning start to his West Ham United career, Jesse Lingard has gone on a relatively dry spell – which means that he hasn’t scored for two matches. Such has been his impact since completing a temporary switch from Manchester United in January, that fans have come to expect a goal from him in every match. Nevertheless, Lingard still has the amazing record of 13 goal contributions from 15 matches for the Hammers.
West Ham spent loads of money on strikers, who they hoped could lead the line effectively, over the last decade. Ironically, their most lethal forward, Michail Antonio, in the same period is a lowly signing from Nottingham Forest who – until very recently – was often deployed as a wingback! Antonio has been key to the Hammers’ European push this season, and his return from injury gives them a timely boost for the run-in.
Gylfi Sigurdsson had suffered from inconsistent spells since signing for Everton in a big-money move. Recently, the Iceland international has enjoyed a positive spell, often leading his side towards points single-handedly. The veteran midfielder has a decent record in terms of goals and assists. He has scored eight times across all competitions and has provided nine assists in 39 matches. He was on target twice in Everton’s recent draw against Tottenham.
In Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Everton have found the goal-scoring successor to Romelu Lukaku. The Englishman, who is a youth product of Sheffield United’s academy, has become a first-team stalwart for the Toffees. His strike partnership with Richarlison has been extremely effective, while he has individually had a hand in 24 goals across 34 matches. His 15 strikes in the league make him Everton’s top scorer this season.
Prediction
United wasted no time picking themselves up again following a gut-wrenching loss to Chelsea. The Hammers beat Burnley 2-1 in the following match – with Antonio scoring a double – to keep the distance between themselves and the Blues to three points. A win against Everton could potentially take them back level on points with their London rivals, but only if they lose to Manchester City in their encounter.
Everton’s European hopes have been dented in the past month. The Toffees were on track to secure a spot in either of the two top-tier continental cups – which they still can do – but a poor month saw them lose plenty of points. Three draws and one loss in their previous five matches have left them in eighth place, six points away from a guaranteed UEL group stage spot.
Recent form suggests that the Hammers are favorites to win this match. They won their last league game away to Burnley, while the Toffees were beaten by Aston Villa. Furthermore, with their star striker back fit and firing – and the supporting cast creating plenty of opportunities while also helping with the goals – West Ham should be aiming for all three points from this one.
