Everton will aim to maintain their unbeaten start to life at the Hill-Dickinson Stadium as they face a West Ham United side with a new manager in the dugout.

Everton have not had the best starts to their season, but given how they had fared in the previous campaigns, their fans will take the current state of play ahead of the home game against West Ham United. Having lost out to Leeds United on the opening weekend, the Toffees bounced back in their brand new Hill-Dickinson Stadium to defeat Brighton.

They followed up on that result by going three games unbeaten in Premier League and EFL Cup, including a win over Wolves. However, they have since lost to the Midlands outfit in the EFL Cup, while also getting nothing out of the Merseyside Derby last weekend.

Now, the Merseyside outfit are back at the Hill-Dickinson Stadium, where David Moyes’s men are so far unbeaten. The Scottish tactician will aim to keep that status ahead of their next adventure at the venue, as a beleaguered West Ham United come visiting. A win on Monday could take them potentially to eighth spot in the standings, which could see them climb above Chelsea and Brighton & Hove Albion, among others.

Sticking to the possibilities of climbing up in the standings, West Ham could, in theory, get out of the relegation zone and into 16th spot at best, and above Nottingham Forest if they manage to win on Monday. The club chose to sack Graham Potter on Friday and have since installed former Nottingahm Forest manager Nuno Espirito Santo at the helm.

The Portuguese tactician is expected to take charge of the visit to Merseyside for his first assignment as the West Ham United boss, and he will certainly hope to start with a win. The Hammers have lost four of their five games so far this season, in addition to their cup exit at the hands of Wolves.

Last weekend’s defeat at home to Crystal Palace sealed Potter’s fate in the dugout, as the Hammers waited to secure a successor before making it official. While Espirito Santo may not have big boots to fill, he certainly has big expectations around him to get West Ham out of their slump and re-establish the club at least as a mid-table outfit.

Team News & Tactics

Everton

David Moyes does not have too many concerns when it comes to player fitness, but the continued absence of key defender Jarrad Branthwaite might keep hurting his defence. Apart from the English defender, Merlin Rohl is also expected to stay out for longer with a groin issue.

Beyond that, there are no fresh concerns following Everton’s cup loss to Wolves in midweek. Moyes is expected to bring most of his Everton stars rested for midweek and name a strong lineup for the West Ham clash, with Jack Grealish chief among those.

In Branthwaite’s continued absence, Michael Keane will keep deputising for the Englishman, alongside James Tarkowski. Jake O’Brien and Vitaliy Mykolenko will assume the full-back roles, while James Garner and Idrissa Gueye will be stationed in the central midfield roles.

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall has impressed so far for Everton, and the summer arrival will continue in the advanced midfield role, with Iliman Ndiaye and Jack Grealish either side of him, while Beto leads the line for Everton against West Ham.

Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Pickford; O’Brien, Tarkowski, Keane, Mykolenko; Gueye, Garner; Ndiaye, Dewsbury-Hall, Grealish; Beto

West Ham United

Nuno Espirito Santo may not make too many changes to the team that has struggled for relevance, as former boss Graham Potter’s clear starters are probably the best available options for the new boss. Tomas Soucek will miss out as he continues to serve a three-game ban following his straight red card for violent conduct against Tottenham Hotspur.

Aaron Wan-Bissaka remains a significant doubt, as he has missed the last two games with a reported stomach problem. While the former Manchester United defender would be expected to make the matchday squad, Espirito Santo will hand the keys at right-back to Kyle Walker-Peters.

The new boss could potentially think about using Mateus Fernandes in a deeper role to start him alongside James Ward-Prowse in the central midfield areas. Hence, Lucas Paqueta could slot in the No.10 role as opposed to the left-sided role Potter used him in.

Crysencio Summerville could start on the left wing, with Jarrod Bowen on the right flank. Meanwhile, Nuno will decide on his starting striker, and Callum Wilson might get the nod to spearhead the West Ham attack purely based on his exceptional record of eight goals in his last seven games against Everton.

Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Hermansen; Walker-Peters, Mavropanos, Kilman, Diouf; Ward-Prowse, Fernandes; Bowen, Paqueta, Summerville; Wilson

Key Stats

• Everton are yet to concede in their three competitive games at the Hill-Dickinson Stadium thus far.
• Everton are winless in their last three games across all competitions.
• West Ham United have conceded 13 goals in five games so far, the most in the Premier League.
• West Ham have lost four of their five games so far this season in the Premier League.

Player to Watch

Jack Grealish

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Grealish has already proven his worth as someone who could elevate Everton’s qualities and take the team to the next level. So far, his performances have been tremendous, including in the loss against Liverpool, and the upcoming game against West Ham could be a good outing for the Manchester City loanee to further showcase his talent.

The Englishman has been key for Everton in their efforts to unlock defences, something they have struggled with over the last few years. He will be key for Everton in their efforts to deal a first blow to new West Ham boss Espirito Santo, and continue their unbeaten run at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Prediction

Everton 2-1 West Ham United

West Ham United fans are certain their team possesses the quality to finish at least in the mid-table positions, and they will thoroughly hope there is a new manager bounce for the team. While the team looked out of sorts under Graham Potter, new boss Nuno Espirito Santo may not have too much time to instill his ideas in the squad.

While the Hammers are expected to lose, the fans would at least hope to see visible improvements in their display. Meanwhile,. Everton are a different team when playing at the Hill-Dickinson Stadium, and that will be a key factor as they are expected to beat West Ham here on Monday.

The Toffees also have better quality players in most departments, especially the midfield, and David Moyes’s men will likely take all three points. The Hard Tackle predicts a hard-fought 2-1 victory for Moyes and his charges.