This content has been archived. It may no longer be relevant

In a crucial Premier League match down at the bottom, West Ham United hosted Everton on Saturday at the London Stadium.

The next manager to be fired from the Premier League could be determined by this game’s outcome.

PREVIEW OF THE MATCH

In one of the oddest matches in the Premier League thus far this season, both teams face significant risk.

Given the significance of the outcome for both clubs and their managers, it is one that all neutrals will be keeping an eye on.

Due to the fact that their teams are both in the bottom two of the form table, David Moyes and Frank Lampard are currently the two favorite candidates to be fired.

Everton has scored two points in the last seven games, while West Ham has scored just one.

In the past week, it has come to light that Moyes may lose his job if he loses here.

Even though he was able to get his team through as group winners in the UEFA Europa Conference League earlier this season, Premier League survival is still very important because of the money it will bring.

West Ham have lost four consecutive matches at the London Stadium, all against teams they would have expected to defeat, especially on home turf, after winning six consecutive matches at home.

Even more unbelievable is the fact that Moyes is one of the favorites to succeed Lampard at Everton if West Ham win, which could mean Lampard’s departure from the club.

Following the events of last week’s match against Southampton, Everton fans’ discontent has reached an all-time high.

Despite conflicting reports from both sides, allegations from their own board that members had been assaulted and threatened with death have dominated headlines, overshadowing a protest from supporters.

Given the lack of communication and underachievement under the current board, supporters are understandably furious. Despite spending more than £500 million over the past decade, a second relegation battle is likely.

Lampard is the sixth permanent manager they have hired in the last six and a half years. The only thing keeping them from falling to last place is that they have a goal difference that is slightly higher than that of Southampton, which is a very clear indication of the mess they are in.

If a team doesn’t have any attacking threat, they might prefer to play on the road, where the crowd doesn’t put as much pressure on them to play aggressively and on the front foot.

In recent weeks, they played with a back five and let Demarai Gray run amok on the counter, putting together two of their best performances of the season against Manchester City and Manchester United, both of which were away games.

Everton has been outplayed and outfought at home by Wolverhampton Wanderers, Brighton & Hove Albion, and Southampton, all of whom have visited Goodison Park since the start of the season.

Even though Everton’s home form was crucial to their success last season, the toxic atmosphere created by the now-unrecoverable relationship between the board and fans may actually be a good thing right now because they play away from home.

TEAM NEWS 

With Danny Ings likely to join West Ham, Michail Antonio and Gianluca Scamacca will be under pressure to get back into shape and start playing for the Hammers.

This season in the Premier League, the pair has scored five goals together, while Jarrod Bowen has only scored once from open play.

Their only consolation is that they have the best defensive record in the bottom half, and getting Nayef Aguerd used to the team and the league will only help their cause.

West Ham’s only injury absentee is Maxwel Cornet.

Even though Everton lost to Southampton, it is expected that they will use a back five again because it has worked well when playing away from home.

In the attack, where Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s continued poor form may prompt Lampard to consider other options from the start, there will be no other opportunities.

Neal Maupay hasn’t played for Everton, and Ellis Simms hasn’t played much since being called up from Sunderland.

James Garner and Andros Townsend are back in training, but they won’t be in the team for a few weeks.

The possible starting lineup for West Ham United:

Fabianski; Ogbonna, Coufal, Aguerd, and Cresswell; Rice, Soucek, and Lucas Paqueta; Benrahma, Bowen, and Scamacca Everton’s potential starting lineup:

Pickford; Mykolenko, Tarkowski, Godfrey, Coleman; Iwobi, Gueye, and Onana; Gray, Calvert-Lewin 

WEST HAM UNITED REVIEW 

When making a prediction for West Ham United, it is important to keep in mind that the team once more played a defensively weak game. The Hammers lost to Wolverhampton in the previous round and finished with zero points – 0:1. Again, Moyes’ protégé had 16 shots on goal, but only four of them were successful due to a lack of accuracy and luck. The club fell 15 points behind in the table after the first round after another defeat.

EVERTON REVIEW 

When making a prediction for Everton, we will take into consideration the fact that the team is also in the relegation zone with the same number of points. Despite having nearly identical goal totals, the Toffees have recently begun to play more aggressively. Lampard’s players have scored five goals in a row, often first, but they are unable to score points because they are distracted. It should be noted that, despite being the favorite, the club lost to Southampton in the previous round (1:2).

PREDICTION OF MATCH

Everton 2-0 West Ham United Despite their poor start, it’s hard to imagine a team of West Ham’s caliber staying near the bottom for much longer

Everton’s crisis is total, and it’s possible that it will spill over onto the field because they haven’t been able to win a game in recent weeks.