The final game of this weekend’s limited Premier League action sees Everton host West Ham. Both clubs have struggled at the start of the new season, sitting 17^th and 18^th respectively. West Ham were in midweek action, travelling to Denmark to face Silkeborg, and yet again made life difficult for themselves, not only conceding first but then allowing the Danish side to score again in the second-half to set up a nervy finish with the Hammers 3-2 up.

Everton meanwhile are well-rested having last played against Liverpool in the Merseyside Derby two weeks ago. The Toffees are experiencing considerable injury issues however, with Pickford, Doucoure and [others] on the treatment table. Pickford is the biggest miss for Everton, as last season’s player of the season has continued to impress this season and cement his reputation as one of the best natural shot stoppers in the Premier League. Any game without Pickford sees Everton starting with a significant disadvantage.

The one bit of good news for Everton is that this game will take place at Goodison, where only Chelsea have beaten them this season. The fans are broadly behind Frank Lampard, and if he can build on the same impressive home form that kept them in the league last season, there is no reason to think they can’t move away from the relegation zone towards mid-table.

West Ham meanwhile may not have started the season well, but they are certainly too strong to be down the wrong end of the table for much longer. Their form will begin to turn a corner and they will be in and around the European spots again this season, although whether or not another season of combining European and domestic football will mean they miss out on continental competition next year remains to be seen.

Everton v West Ham United Bet Builder Tips

West Ham to Win

Everton’s injury concerns present West Ham with a huge opportunity. Many of the squad got a run out which may prove beneficial as David Moyes was able to rotate midweek and get minutes in the legs of his side ahead of this game. Everton’s long rest could be counter-productive, with an unexpected week off disrupting training plans and limiting the potential for match sharpness.

West Ham last failed to score during their 2-0 home defeat to Brighton on August 21^st, and since that result they have had a win against Aston Villa, a draw with Spurs and a loss to Chelsea where in all honesty they were robbed of another impressive draw by a terrible VAR call which ruled out what would have been Maxwel Cornet’s first West Ham goal. Their league position is somewhat owed to their tough start, facing Chelsea, Man City and Tottenham as three of their first six opponents.

Whilst they have not been convincing, and Goodison is no easy task for any visiting side, this is a massive opportunity for West Ham with Everton’s injury troubles. Odds against the Hammers seems to represent great value considering the loss of Pickford and that Everton have so far this season conceded 10.4xG but only 6 goals, primarily down to their goalkeeper. I expect this will be a tight game, but West Ham’s quality should allow them to edge it.

Amadou Onana to be Shown a Card

Today’s referee Michael Oliver has been one of the more lenient referees this season, perhaps taking on board the Premier League’s instructions to let the games flow more than his fellow officials, however he does still average 3.2 yellows per game, more than enough for me to try and find some value in card bets, not least as these two sides are likely to set up hoping to counter-attack, making tactical fouls a crucial part of defending for both sides.

My pick for a card here is Everton defensive midfielder Amadou Onana. Onana already has 2 bookings this season, and has fouled at least once in all but one of his 6 Premier League appearances this season. He commits more fouls per 90 than any other Everton player, with 2.42, whilst his high fouls drawn numbers (2^nd most in the squad) are exactly what you would expect from a player who loves to get stuck in and can be drawn into running battles with his opposite number.

He will be tasked with protecting the centre-backs Tarkowski and Coady, both of whom are not the fastest, and so preventing fast breaks before they can really develop will be crucial for Onana here. With Bowen and Antonio likely to be running at pace in his area of the field throughout the game, and facing off against Lucas Paqueta or Tomas Soucek, who both sit in the top-3 for fouls committed for West Ham, with Paqueta also drawing the second-most fouls means Onana is likely to be heavily involved here.

Defensive midfielders have made more fouls against West Ham than any other position, again suggesting Onana is likely to have his hands full this weekend. At odds of 3.75, Onana to be shown a card represents fantastic value considering all the data above, and that is why I will be selecting him for the third leg of this Bet Builder.

Anthony Gordon to have 1+ Shots on Target

After a summer in which it looked like he may be on the move for crazy money, Anthony Gordon is staying at Everton. The 21-year-old from Liverpool has continued to impress this season, and though he is not a £60m player just yet, the idea he may become one is looking more and more realistic each weekend.

Gordon’s 18 shots in 6 Premier League games is comparable only to the 14 notched by fellow winger Demarai Gray, but 26-year-old Gray’s accuracy does not hold a candle to that demonstrated by Gordon so far this season. Gordon has gotten 13 of his 18 shots on target, a shot efficiency of 72.2%, more than double the 35.7% his opposite winger has produced so far in 2022-23.

Everton’s attacking play runs through Gordon, whether he is playing up front or driving inside from the wings. With 2 goals in his last 3 Premier League games, he will be full of confidence, having not failed to hit a shot on target since the opening weekend of the season, in Everton’s 1-0 home defeat at the hands of Chelsea.

His most productive shooting performances have come playing off the right, so if he is picked on the right to start here, it may well be worth looking at 2 or more shots on target, however, without knowing which position he will start the game in, I am choosing to play it a little safer and stick with 1 or more shots on target.

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* I recommend waiting for confirmed team line-ups before placing any bets *

Predicted Line-ups

Everton predicted XI (4-3-3): Begovic; Patterson, Coady, Tarkowski, Mykolenko; Davies, Onana, Iwobi; Gray, Maupay, Gordon

West Ham predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Fabianski; Coufal, Kehrer, Zouma, Cresswell; Soucek, Rice; Bowen, Paqueta, Fornals; Antonio

* All odds displayed correct at the time of publishing *

How to watch Everton v West Ham United in the Premier League?

📅   When is Everton v West Ham? / Sunday, 18th September 2022, 2:15PM
🏟   Where is Everton v West Ham? / Goodison Park (Liverpool)
📺   What TV channel is Everton v West Ham on? / Sky Sports Main Event & Sky Sports Premier League
🟨   …And who is the referee for Everton v West Ham? / M. Oliver🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿