Premier League: Everton to Draw First Blood in 2021

Everton vs West Ham United

The New Year is upon us friends so we can say goodbye to 2020 and look forward to better times around the planet, and hey, in the world of sport it’s getting better and better.

Before long we hope to see packed stadiums again, but in the meantime, there’s plenty of action and drama on the football pitches of Europe and beyond.

Here in the Premier League, a resurgent Manchester United take on Aston Villa in one of the New Year openers, while here and now I’m taking a look at the other 1st January game on offer – Everton vs West Ham.

The Toffees, currently in fourth, are on a hot streak of form and are expected to beat West Ham, who is a team stacked with talent but which has recently lost the winning habit.

Hammers head coach David Moyes returns to the club he led successfully for a decade and he knows how difficult it can be to take anything away from Goodison Park.

Talking Points

Unexpected break for Everton

The latest Premier League 2020 betting odds are backing the hosts to win this clash and they have recently been handed an unexpected if unwelcome edge.

Carlo Ancelotti has had more time than he expected to prepare his side for this clash having seen their last match cancelled.

The Toffees were furious when their game against Manchester City was called off due to COVID-19, just five hours before it was due to kick off on Monday night.

Three of the Sky Blues’ squad apparently tested positive on the day of the game and Everton weren’t advised of the postponement until their pre-match preparations at the Liverpool Hilton were well underway.

I don’t think it was the unnecessary hotel bill which angered Ancelotti!

After a brief blip of three defeats, his team has hit form again, winning the last four Premier League matches to rise to fourth in the table and three points off the top, and they probably fancied their chances against the Sky Blues.

One benefit of the postponement was that Everton’s injured players gained a little more recovery time, but they are likely to line up against West Ham without wing-back Lucas Digne and midfielders Fabian Delph, James Rodriguez, and Allan.

But having been out in the cold for some time, Icelandic attacking midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson has strengthened his case in recent weeks, scoring twice in his last five appearances.

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Premier League

Hammers off the boil

Following a difficult 2019/20 campaign which ended in a relegation battle, West Ham started this season very strongly.

This time last year they were in 16th place with 16 points, while they now sit 10th with 23 points.

Head coach David Moyes has been getting the most from some of the players who floundered at times last season.

Jarrod Bowen, with four goals, has been particularly impressive while big-money signings Sebastian Haller and Pablo Fornals have been showing signs of value.

But having won six of their first 12 games the Hammers have gone four without a victory.

They took a 3-0 thumping at the hands of Chelsea in their last game before Christmas, but then they earned a point in a 2-2 draw with Brighton and were much more resilient on Tuesday night in a 0-0 draw away to Southampton.

It took West Ham over 40 minutes to have an effort on target, which is a Ryan Fredericks header.

Midfield ace Tomas Soucek came close to scoring his fifth goal of the season in the second half and he, alongside Aaron Cresswell who has made four assists, add real quality to the Hammers’ midfield while Andriy Yarmolenko and Manuel Lanzini add real attacking menace on the flanks.

Premier League: Can Tomas Soucek inspire the Hammers to beat Everton at Goodison Park? — Tomas Soucek in action during the match between West Ham United and Brighton & Hove Albion

History

The Toffees have had the better of the head-to-head Premier League 2020 results in the Premier League era, winning 28 of the 52 clashes, drawing 14 and losing just 10.

Most recently, Everton hammered the Hammers, 4-1, in the EFL Cup 4th round as Dominic Calvert-Lewin scored a hat-trick.

Recent form is in the Toffees favour, having won four of the last six, while the Hammers have won just once.

So let’s have a look at the SBOTOP odds and make a pick or two.