Everton head to the capital this Saturday to face West Ham United, looking to banish the ghosts of a painful derby defeat and keep their European aspirations alive in David Moyes’s return to his former stomping ground.
The Blues' momentum was cruelly halted last weekend at the Hill Dickinson Stadium, where a late Virgil van Dijk winner from a corner secured a 2-1 victory for Liverpool. It was a double blow for Everton, who not only lost the points but also lost their defensive linchpin Jarrad Branthwaite to a season-ending injury.
Currently sitting 10th in the Premier League but only 3 points off the European spots, the maths is simple for David Moyes: Everton need to replicate the away form that has seen them pick up 24 points on the road this season — a tally only bettered by Arsenal. With just five games remaining, there is no room for a derby hangover at the London Stadium.
Team News
Everton Team News
The headline team news is a devastating one for the Blues: Jarrad Branthwaite will miss the remainder of the season. The 23-year-old was stretchered off in tears during the closing stages of the Merseyside derby with a hamstring injury. While scans confirmed he won't require surgery, he won't feature again in this campaign, leaving a massive void in the heart of the Everton defence.
In his absence, Michael Keane is the likely candidate to step back in alongside James Tarkowski, with Jake O'Brien retained at right-back. On a more positive note, Beto is not under a concussion protocol and should be fit to start.
Losing Branthwaite is a hammer blow, and the sight of Michael Keane stepping back into a high-stakes away game will do little for the blood pressure of the traveling Toffees. However, Everton have been a different animal on the road this season.
Jack Grealish remains a long-term absentee, while questions remain over the availability of Charly Alcaraz, who was on the bench last weekend but had been frozen out of recent matchday squads with some mysterious, unspecified injury.
Moyes is unlikely to change things, convincing himself that his selection played well against Liverpool, and is highly unlikely to take any risks by putting potentially more exciting young players, like Tyrique George or Tyler Dibling, into the starting lineup.
If Ndiaye can find the pockets of space he exploited so well earlier in the month, and if the midfield can protect a weakened backline, there should be a result to be had here.
Moyes knows this ground better than anyone, and maybe still has a soft spot for the Hammers. In normal circumstances, he should be desperate to prove a point against his old employers, but perhaps not if it means putting them back down in the Championship.
It won't be pretty, but a gritty point — or even a narrow win — is within reach of the Blues if they can keep Bowen quiet and just avoid conceding from any more dicey corners.
West Ham Team News
The Hammers, with Nuno Espírito Santo now on to his fourth Premier League assignment, sit perilously close to the drop zone, in 17th, just 2 points ahead of Tottenham Hotspur. They are expected to be at near full strength, though they will be wary of Everton's counter-attacking threat. Jarrod Bowen remains their chief creator, with Lucas Paquetá no longer there as an Everton tormentor and Crysencio Summerville always a live wire looking to run through the lines and get on the end of a shot.
Predicted Lineup (4-2-3-1)
Pickford; O'Brien, Tarkowski, Keane, Mykolenko; Garner, Gueye; McNeil, Dewsbury-Hall, Ndiaye; Beto.
What the Manager Says
David Moyes: "Going back to West Ham is always special, but the focus is entirely on us. We were all gutted after the derby, especially for Jarrad, but we have to show character. Our away form has been excellent and we need that level of performance again on Saturday."
Match Details
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Kick-off: 3:00 pm BST, Saturday 25 April 2026
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Venue: London Stadium
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Last Time: Everton 1 - 1 West Ham (September 2025)
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Referee: Stuart Attwell
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Video Assistant Referee: Michael Salisbury
Where to Watch
Due to the 3pm Saturday afternoon blackout, the match will not be broadcast live in the UK. Viewers in the United States can stream the game on Peacock, and fans worldwide should check their local listings for TV coverage. All can follow updates and the inevitable angst on the ToffeeWeb Live Forum.
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Reader Comments (21)
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2 Posted 23/04/2026 at 16:45:15
West Ham aren't good but they're fighting for survival. I expect Moyes to introduce Keane for Branthwaite as the sole change.
We'll scrap it out and try and nick it, introducing George and others in the last 15 minutes. We need to contain Bowen and Sommerville.
In fairness, we have ground out some batting away wins this season. This needs to be another.
3 Posted 23/04/2026 at 17:04:31
Last week was very painful. Coming back from that setback will determine how strong we are and how far we have come.
We have improved a lot this season but we have blown many chances to get points on the board.
4 Posted 23/04/2026 at 17:16:49
We are very capable of winning this but in many ways it's a more important game for them. Sure it's also very important for us but it's probably not quite of the same magnitude.
It's going to be a hostile atmosphere, but the occasion might get to the West Ham players more than us, you never know.
Moyes will pick the same team minus Jarrad and barring other injuries or illnesses to the rest of them.
I don't think we will lose the game.
5 Posted 23/04/2026 at 17:19:03
6 Posted 23/04/2026 at 17:23:08
It will be more of the same, especially away. Keep it solid and pinch goals when we can.
7 Posted 23/04/2026 at 17:41:52
I would therefore put O'Brien in the middle and play Jimmy Garner at right-back for the next few games, bring Iroegbunam, Rohl or Armstrong into midfield.
Hopefully Beto is fit and bring Braiden Graham with the first team for the experience. I know he has a game Friday night but travelling with the first team will give him a bit of exposure and maybe he can get some game time before the end of the season.
I cannot stand to see Barry in an Everton shirt again.
8 Posted 24/04/2026 at 08:30:03
Pickford
Garner O'Brien Keane Mykolenko
Gana Rohl
Alcaraz Dewsbury-Hall Ndiaye
Beto
I've gone from being a big Tarkowski fan to seeing him as a liability. Van Dijk brushed him aside last week in what was once his forte.
I think he's become our version of the Emperor's New Clothes -- he's really not as good as we think he is. But he is skipper -- and Moyes won't drop his skipper... unless.
Hmmmmm...
9 Posted 24/04/2026 at 08:31:39
So ideally we win this, Spurs get beaten by Wolves etc, and we thrash them on the last day to send them down...
10 Posted 24/04/2026 at 08:43:07
Bring Braiden Graham with the first team for the experience. I know he has a game Friday night...
Ah, thanks for the nudge. Although the U21s finished their regular PL2 games last week, they did qualify as one of eight Category 1 Academy sides in a bizarre playoff bracket against the Top 8 finishers in the Professional Development League 2, which are all Category 2 Academy sides.
Consequently, Everton U21s play Watford U21s at Walton Hall Park on Friday evening. Braiden Graham is now a regular, so I'd be surprised to see him going down the M1 on Saturday morning...
11 Posted 24/04/2026 at 09:23:58
12 Posted 24/04/2026 at 10:00:02
Stick or twist, David?
13 Posted 24/04/2026 at 14:15:31
Bit of a bummer...
14 Posted 24/04/2026 at 14:23:01
Also, Moyes must have be quietly furious with the player's lack of effort in the derby and subsequently thought he has not worked hard enough to gain a place? We will see...
As for Beto, get well soon, lad -- We need you.
15 Posted 24/04/2026 at 17:35:25
16 Posted 24/04/2026 at 18:06:27
Maybe N’Diaye, but unless he plays Armstrong or N’Diaye, out of position again, he would have to start George on the wing.
Maybe he will play with three centre backs and play Garner, wingback? Maybe he will bring in Dibling?
There’s definitely a few different things he can do, but either way, we don’t need many injuries before the squad looks seriously weakened, something that can hopefully be rectified in the summer.
17 Posted 24/04/2026 at 21:26:18
Sadly, we don't win the big games anymore!
18 Posted 24/04/2026 at 21:43:46
The Shitbox is hardly the most intimidating of arenas, I'm hoping for 2-0 tomorrow.
19 Posted 24/04/2026 at 22:01:39
20 Posted 24/04/2026 at 22:02:23
21 Posted 24/04/2026 at 22:18:24
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1 Posted 23/04/2026 at 16:43:41
Keep the shackles on Bowen and we can sneak a win.