Match Preview
Abdoulaye Doucouré will be given every chance to prove he is fit enough to feature in some capacity when Everton travel to the London Stadium this weekend to face fellow strugglers West Ham.
The Frenchman missed the defeat at Southampton last Saturday because of injury and it was initially feared that he might be sidelined for a number of weeks.
However, Sean Dyche explained in his press conference ahead of the trip to the Capital that the problem “has settled down” and that Doucouré “has a chance” of being involved as the Toffees look to bounce back from a terrible result at St Mary’s that ended their five-game unbeaten run.
Iliman Ndiaye, who was withdrawn from the action on the south coast after picking up an early knock and soldiering on well into the second half, is in a similar boat, with Dyche admitting that he was hopeful on the Senegal international as well but the expectation is that he will play.
Dwight McNeil, however, has re-emerged as a concern if a report by The Athletic is true. Dyche did not mention the former Burnley man in his presser but it appears as though he is still dealing with the knee injury he sustained in the game against Fulham a fortnight ago.
Seamus Coleman has not been selected in recent matches after returning from his own fitness issues but Dyche explained that the Club captain has suffered a relapse with a minor hamstring strain that will keep him out of Saturday’s clash with the Hammers and the Republic of Ireland’s upcoming internationals this month.
Meanwhile, Armando Broja continues to make progress towards finally being available following his loan move from Chelsea. The forward has been involved in training with the senior players for the first time this week, partaking in light drills and ball work as the Club’s medical staff build towards contact training and, eventually, practice matches at Finch Farm.
With Everton having failed to convince in any of the recent games against Newcastle, Fulham and Saints, fixtures that yielded just two points from a possible nine, there have been calls for Jarrad Branthwaite to be reinstated to the starting XI having been left on the bench for the last three.
Michael Keane has retained his place and performed well on the whole but there is growing restlessness among many supporters that Dyche is leaving one of his best players on the sidelines.
The manager explained his reasoning on his press conference, alluding to the recent form of Keane and James Tarkowski and the seriousness of the injury that necessitated Branthwaite undergoing surgery over the summer but the indications from inside the Club are that the young defender is fully fit and raring to go.
Whether Dyche now relents and restores him to the line-up remains to be seen but the end of the mini unbeaten run provides him with the ideal pretext.
Meanwhile, Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s indifferent form and the impact Beto has bene making off the bench could prompt a change up front from Dyche.
The Portuguese scored the crucial late equaliser against Fulham while against Southampton he rattled the crossbar with a header, scored a superbly-taken but fractionally offside goal and drew a foul from Jan Bednarek that, on another day, might have yielded a red card.
Beto hasn’t always looked suited to the lone striker role when starting games but many feel he has more that earned his chance at proving he can cut it, particularly against West Ham who currently hold the longest sequence of Premier League home games where they have conceded at least once.
This is a huge game for the Hammers as well, with their head coach, Julen Lopetegui under pressure and increasingly unpopular with a record of just three wins from 10 to start his reign as David Moyes’s replacement in East London.
West Ham were soundly beaten last weekend by high-flyers Nottingham Forest and were thrashed by Tottenham 4-1 three weeks ago but at home they have been more convincing in recent weeks, beating Ipswich comfortably and then putting the final nail in Erik Ten Hag’s proverbial coffin with a 2-1 win over Manchester United.
Before that, they had been defeated on their own patch by Aston Villa, Manchester City and Chelsea, opposition that Lopetegui might point to as being very tough.
The Spaniard has selection problems for the visit of the Blues this weekend, though, with both star man Mohamed Kudus and key midfield man Edson Alvarez suspended and summer signing Niclas Fullkrug still out injured.
Given the poverty of the Londoners’ form, this should be a game that Everton go into looking to impose themselves in a way they failed to do last weekend at St Mary’s.
There is a fragility about Lopetegui’s side and the home fans’ frustration with the manager is there to be exploited, particularly if the Blues can capitalise on the Hammer’s propensity to concede early goals.
Kick-off: 3pm, Saturday 9 November, 2024
Referee: Stuart Attwell
VAR: Darren England
Last Time: West Ham United 0 – 1 Everton
Predicted Line-up: Pickford, Young, Tarkowski, Branthwaite, Mykolenko, Mangala, Gueye, Lindstrøm, Ndiaye, McNeil, Beto