Everton welcomes West Ham United to Goodison Park on 10/19/19 as Round 9 of the English Premier League begins.
Everton
Everton was established in 1878 and the club is among the founding members of the English Premier League in 1992. The Toffees have played in the top division of English football for a record of 116 years while missing only four seasons of EPL action since the Football League was created in 1888. They have won the League Championship a total of nine times, 4th most all-time. They have also won the FA Cup five times and the UEFA Winners Cup once.
A 0-1 loss to Burnley in Round 8 of the 2019 EPL season sent Everton to its fourth loss in their last five matches played. Everton conceded a goal in the 72nd minute on a volley by Jeff Hendrick, falling to 17th in the latest ladder. They are just one point over the relegation zone. Everton played with just 10 men after the 56th minute when captain Seamus Coleman was assessed his second yellow card.
Everton is ranked 17th in the Premier League in Goal Difference at -7 goals. They have scored six goals this season, tied for 18th overall and have yielded a total of 13 goals during this term, tied for 16th overall. Everton also ranks 13th in the league with a total of six assists this year.
Richarlison has found success early in the season with two goals and one assist in eight appearances. Dominic Calvert-Lewin also has a pair of goals this term while midfielders Bernard and Alex Iwobi have scored one goal each for Everton. Defender Lucas Digne leads the team with two assists on the season while goalkeeper Jordan Pickford has conceded nine goals with 11 saves in six appearances.
West Ham United
West Ham United is one of the eight English football clubs who have never played below the second division of English football. The Hammers have played in the top flight in 61 out of the 93 Premier League season. Despite their history, West Ham United has never won the Premier League/Football League First Division and their highest finish in the EPL was 3rd during the 1985-86 season.
West Ham enters this game as the soccer betting underdogs against Everton. They were up 1-0 against Crystal Palace but lost that match after the latter forced a comeback and scored the game-winning point in the 88th minute on a VAR assisted goal by Jordan Ayew. Sebastian Haller gave the Hammers the lead with a goal in the 54th minute but Crystal Palace clawed back into the game.
West Ham United is tied for 6th in the EPL in Goal Difference at +1. They have scored a total of ten goals on the season which ranks them 8th in the league. West Ham United has allowed nine goals in seven matches and they are tied for 7th in that category. West Ham United’s six assists this term is tied for 12th overall.
Sebastian Haller leads the club with three goals and an assist while Andriy Yarmolenko also has three goals in six matches played. Defender Aaron Creswell also has two goals in three appearances while Felipe Anderson has three assists to lead West Ham United. Goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski has conceded nine goals in seven appearances this season.
Who Wins?
Everton is 17th in the current EPL standings with their 2-1-5 record. Everton has lost four matches in a row after beating Wolverhampton in round 4. They were beaten by Bournemouth 1-3, South Hampton 0-2, defending EPL champions Manchester City 1-3 and in their last outing, they dropped a 0-1 contest against Burnley.
West Ham United is the 7th ranked team in the Premier League after week 8. They have a record of 3-3-2 SU and are coming off a 1-2 loss to Crystal Palace. Before week 8, West Ham United had not lost a match since dropping a 0-5 contest to Manchester City on opening week. If there’s a consolation of sorts, it’s that Crystal Palace’s win over West Ham United came on a VAR assisted goal.
Head to head, these teams have played in a total of 37 matches. Everton leads the series with 20 wins while West Ham only has six wins. These teams have played to a draw in 11 other matches. Interestingly, West Ham United has won the last two meetings between these two teams, including a 2-0 triumph last March 30, 2019.
Everton has West Ham’s number but the latter has played strong in the last six meetings, going 2-1-3 SU against Everton over that period. Both these teams are coming off a loss but when you look at how they lost, West Ham still played better. I like the underdogs here even though Everton is at their home field. Prediction: West Ham United