Everton v West Ham: Carroll comeback could make things tight
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To say West Ham don’t have a great recent record against Everton is probably an understatement.
It’s been 13 games and seven years since the Hammers last tasted victory against their Liverpudlian opponents and nine years since they last left Goodison Park with three points.
But this season could spell the end of that barren run, with Sam Allardyce’s side enjoying the dizzying climes of fourth place at the moment.
So while they have struggled against the Toffees in the past, this could be much tighter, as we pick out three of the best bets ahead of the action.
As mentioned, West Ham’s record against Everton is simply horrible. However if they are going to break the hoodoo in the North West, this could be the year.
The hosts could be without Gareth Barry, Leighton Baines, Kevin Mirallas and James McCarthy, as well as defender John Stones. This could be a major blow as they look to secure another European spot this season.
While the Hammers may come up a bit short when it comes to winning, they look a good price to get at least a point at Goodison.
This one is for trend followers. Three of Everton’s five games at home have seen four or more goals, while the same can be said for four of West Ham’s road trips.
Roberto Martinez recently complement ‘brave’ West Ham on their style of play this season, while the Spaniard himself is known as an attack-minded coach, so we could be in for a very open game here.
Rejoice West Ham fans, his full comeback is nigh! Well, maybe not just yet, but we could well be seeing the big man strutting his stuff at the weekend.
The Hammers were left sweating when Diafra Sakho pulled out of Senegal’s Africa Cup of Nations qualifier in midweek with a back injury, and are yet to discover the full extent of that problem, so Carroll could play a bigger part than originally planned.
And with competition for places leading the front-line expect the former Newcastle man to take whatever chances he gets to prove his worth to his manager.
All odds and markets correct as of the date of the publishing
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