Nuno slips in as West Ham United prepares for Everton trip.
Everton vs. West Ham United kicks off at 20:00 [GMT+1] on Monday, September 29, at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
Both sides come into this game with very different underlying narratives. Eleventh-placed Everton [LWWDL] are unbeaten at their new home ground, while newly appointed Nuno Espírito Santo will be hoping to make an immediate impact at West Ham. Everton’s record against West Ham at home in recent times has been patchy, with just one win from their last five Premier League meetings on Merseyside (D1 L3). What makes this run intriguing is that David Moyes has been present in the dugout for all of those games – once as Everton boss and the other four as West Ham’s manager. The symmetry underlines his long association with both clubs, though his Hammers side failed to take maximum points in either fixture last season, as both league games ended in draws. Everton, meanwhile, have quickly turned their new ground into something of a fortress. They have beaten Brighton 2-0 and drawn 0-0 with Aston Villa in their first two outings at Hill Dickinson Stadium and remain yet to concede a Premier League goal there. Only Swansea at the Liberty Stadium and Tottenham at their new ground managed to keep clean sheets in their first three Premier League home matches, so history beckons for David Moyes’ side. Keeping clean sheets in their first three home games of a season would match their achievement from the 1987/88 campaign. In addition, the Toffees’ defensive organisation has been a hallmark since David Moyes returned, with just two defeats in their last 12 Premier League home matches (W4 D6). Beto is expected at the attacking end of Everton’s 4—2—3—1 formation.
Graham Potter was shown the exit just before Saturday’s early kick-off clash between Brentford and Manchester United came to an end. Moments later the club announced the arrival of former Nottingham boss Nuno Espírito Santo. “West Ham United is delighted to announce the appointment of Nuno Espírito Santo as the Club’s new men’s Head Coach,” a statement from the club read. Nuno will be looking to make an immediate impact for the Hammers on his debut. Luckily, Everton are something of a favourable opponent in recent years. Since the start of 2021, they have registered five league wins over the Toffees, with only Wolves (six) offering more joy in that time. However, they are winless in their last three fixtures played on a Monday (D1 L2), including defeats earlier this year to Chelsea and Newcastle. This comes in contrast to a previous run of nine wins from 10 Monday matches. Callum Wilson, Crysencio Summerville and Jarrod Bowen could form the attacking trio in West Ham’s 4—3—3 formation. Tomáš Souček remains suspended.