The background
West Ham United will look to return to winning ways this Saturday when they play host to Roberto Martinez’s Everton side.
The Hammers tasted defeat for the first time in eight matches last week when an Odion Ighalo double downed Slaven Bilic’s men at Watford.
It brought to an end a fine run which had seen the east Londoners rise up to third in the Barclays Premier League table, so Bilic will be hoping to put it behind him as soon as possible.
Everton arrive in E13 on the back of a thumping 6-2 victory over struggling Sunderland, in which Arouna Kone notched a hat-trick.
That halted a run of two successive defeats to Manchester United and Arsenal and took them to ninth in the table with 16 points – four less than the Hammers.
The history
West Ham’s record against the Toffees is notoriously poor, so after ending lengthy waits for victories against Liverpool and Arsenal this term, the Hammers will want to add Everton to the list on Saturday.
The teams have met 132 times, with Everton holding the edge with 67 victories. The Hammers have triumphed 37 times, with 28 draws on the record books.
West Ham have not defeated Everton in the league for eight years, with 14 matches passing since Bobby Zamora secured a 1-0 victory in April 2007.
The Hammers did enjoy an FA Cup success over Everton last term, when Adrian’s winning penalty ended an epic shootout in a third round Boleyn Ground replay.
Hammers boss Slaven Bilic played for both sides in his playing career, turning out in 49 league games for the Hammers and 28 for Saturday’s visitors.
The match
Team news
West Ham United
West Ham will again be without striker Diafra Sakho, who was confirmed in the manager’s press conference to have suffered a small tear to his thigh.
However, Enner Valencia is closing in on full match fitness, while Alex Song has resumed training with the first team.
James Collins serves the first game of a three-match suspension, so Winston Reid or Angelo Ogbonna will come back into the reckoning.
Everton
Costa Rican Bryan Oviedo could miss up to three weeks of football after suffering a hamstring injury in last weekend’s win over Sunderland.
Leighton Baines is still not ready to return from his ankle problem, but midfielder Tom Cleverley is in line for a return after being out since August.
Match info
- Saturday’s referee is Paul Tierney. The official is new to the Barclays Premier League and will be taking the whistle for the first time in a Hammers fixture. He will be assisted by Dave Bryan and Adam Nunn, while the fourth official is Martin Atkinson.
- West Ham have lost just one of their last eight league games (W5 D2).
- The Hammers are unbeaten in their last three home games (W2 D1), although they have not won back-to-back home Premier League games since December last year.
- West Ham have scored at least two goals in nine of their eleven league games this term.
- All 19 of Everton’s goals this season have been scored in open play.
- Romelu Lukaku has been involved in seven goals in his last five appearances (four goals, three assists), while he has scored in all six of his Everton games against West Ham.
Ticket, travel, coverage and other info
- Tickets for this game have SOLD OUT. However, they may become available online as Season Ticket holders relist on Ticket Trader.
- There are no closures planned on the eastern branches of the District and Hammersmith & City lines serving Upton Park. However, supporters who use the London Overground Barking-Gospel Oak line should note that replacement buses will be operating on this route. Click here for full details on TfL services and here for National Rail.
- A rainy day is anticipated on Saturday, although temperatures are set to be mild with 17C (63F) predicted for kick-off.
- If you’re not heading to the match, make sure you follow all the action on our digital channels. Our live match centre will carry live audio commentary and text updates, in-running stats, photos and more. Meanwhile, you can get involved in the conversation on social using the hashtag #WHUEVE