West Ham make three changes to the XI named against Huddersfield a fortnight ago. Mark Noble and Michail Antonio drop to the bench, while Felipe Anderson misses out altogether. Pedro Obiang, Robert Snodgrass and Lucas Perez take their places.
Everton make just one enforced change to the side that beat Chelsea two weeks past. Kurt Zouma comes in for the hamstrung Yerry Mina.
The teams
West Ham United: Fabianski, Zabaleta, Diop, Ogbonna, Cresswell, Rice, Snodgrass, Obiang, Lanzini, Arnautovic, Lucas Perez.
Subs: Balbuena, Adrian, Noble, Hernandez, Masuaku, Antonio, Diangana.
Everton: Pickford, Coleman, Keane, Zouma, Digne, Gueye, Andre Gomes, Richarlison, Sigurdsson, Bernard, Calvert-Lewin.
Subs: Baines, Jagielka, Walcott, Tosun, Stekelenburg, Davies, Lookman.
Referee: Paul Tierney (Lancashire).
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Preamble
There are usually goals whenever these famous old clubs play each other. West Ham won the last two meetings 3-1; Everton triumphed 4-0 in the one before that. Then in the one before that … well, it ended 0-0. But to be fair, that was one of only two goalless draws between this pair in the last 30 years.
So there you have it! Latter-season mid-table non-event? I don’t think so! Especially as a seventh-place finish, the Best of the Rest now supposedly being a thing, is a very real possibility for both clubs, one which would augur well for next season after a campaign of disappointment and underachievement. A Saturday night spectacular? Yes please! It’s on!
Kick off: 5.30pm.
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