David Moyes makes one key West Ham change for the vital clash with Everton as Jarrod Bowen waits in the wings.
West Ham are back in action against former Hammer Frank Lampard’s relegation-threatened Everton.
It comes with the massive Europa League quarter-final first leg against Lyon looming large on Thursday night.
But the Premier League game is first up and is massive for both West Ham and Everton for very different reasons.
Moyes’s boys will be desperate to get back to winning ways in their pursuit of a top six spot after the 3-1 defeat to Spurs last time out.
That defeat said more about West Ham’s shallow squad than anything else.
So the fact Moyes has been able to give most of his players a much-needed rest over the international break could be the perfect tonic for the Hammers.
Everton have plenty at stake too. Lampard’s Toffees need every point they can get to stave off the threat of relegation.
And that threat is very real given Everton sit 17th going into the game at West Ham.
The Hammers slipped to eighth in the table after Wolves beat Aston Villa 2-1 on Saturday. But Moyes’s boys know a win over Everton will elevate them up to fifth place following Man United’s draw with Leicester.
They will remain there too if Spurs are beaten by Newcastle.
Much of the talk before this game has been around the availability of Manuel Lanzini and Jarrod Bowen.
Lanzini had a lucky escape after a car crash in the week. Moyes said the Argentine was feeling sore after the incident.
That has led to suggestions Nikola Vlasic may start against his old club.
But this is a must win game for West Ham and Vlasic has showed absolutely no sign of being any use to Moyes right now. This is no time to be giving chances to players who simply have not earned them unless injuries dictate the manager has no other choice.
Lanzini on the other hand is a key player. And given he is suspended for the first leg of the Lyon tie, he has plenty of time to rest following the Everton clash.
So we think a bit of Moyes kid-ology was involved regarding Lanzini’s availability and he will start against the Toffees.
Predicted line-up: David Moyes makes one key West Ham change for Everton as Jarrod Bowen waits in the wings
Instead we think Moyes makes one key West Ham change for Everton as Bowen waits in the wings.
Bowen has been doing some training over the international break according to Moyes. And he will likely be on the bench at best with Lyon the more realistic target.
Instead Moyes will make one change by bringing Pablo Fornals back into the starting line-up in place of the hapless Arthur Masuaku – who put in another abject display when given a shock start at Spurs.
West Ham will revert to four at the back and our predicted team sees no other changes from that Tottenham defeat.
Predicted West Ham starting XI to face Everton:
Fabianski, Johnson, Dawson, Zouma, Cresswell, Soucek, Rice, Lanzini, Fornals, Benrahma, Antonio.
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