West Ham United v Everton: Hammers have mid-table in their sights

West Ham United and Everton have both underperformed this season but while Gianfranco’s Hammers are beginning to show signs of progress Moyes’s Toffees go into this afternoon’s clash searching their first league win since September.

Both teams were tipped for a decent campaign this season but the Hammers have mustered just two league wins and suffered an early exit from the Carling Cup while Everton’s Europa League demands have affected everything. They’ve recorded just three league wins, have an ever growing injury list, were knocked out of the Carling Cup and suffered their worst defeat in Europe ever against Benfica.

Fortunately for David Moyes he takes his side to Upton Park this afternoon, a ground the Toffees have enjoyed playing at in recent years. They have lost just one of their previous six meetings in the East End and won the last two by two-goal margins. Will they make it a hat-trick of league wins today?

However, Everton have turned into draw specialists this year. They have shared the spoils 10 times during 2009 and have drawn three of their last four league games.

Gianfranco Zola claims Zavon Hines’s late winner against Villa is the turning point of their season but they may be without the power and pace of Carlton Cole up front for the visit of Everton after he limped off in midweek and Illunga may also miss out through injury. Everton are hopeful that Louis Saha will be back to lead their attack while Lucas Neill could return to his former stomping ground.

Victory for West Ham would see them leapfrog their Merseyside rivals in the table and possibly reach the dizzy heights of 12^th. A win for Everton meanwhile would see them climb to a point behind Burnley.

West Ham haven’t managed to win two games in a row since March. Will this be the day that stat is smashed?

West Ham United v Everton; Kick Off 3pm 08 Nov 2009

Prediction Panel
Our panel contains both Squarefootball writers and readers, the writers are marked: (sqf).

Dave Blackburn : 0 - 0
Chris Cox : 1 - 1
Graham Enwright : 2 - 1
Sue Gardener : 1 - 2
Chris Goodwin : 1 - 1
Paul Grech (sqf) : TBC
Colin Illingworth (sqf) : 2 - 1
Hugh Larkin (sqf) : 1 - 1
Peter Lee : 1 - 1
Don McMahon : 1 - 0
Antony Melvin (sqf) : 1 - 0
Paul O'Meara (sqf) : 0 - 0
Dave Nash : 1 - 0
Stephen Orford (sqf) : TBC
Tony Ratton : 1 - 1
Peter Rendle : 1 - 1
Dan Taylor : 2 - 2
Andy Wakeman : 2 - 0
Isaac Williams : TBC
Mark Williams : 2 - 1

Panel Verdict

The Panel believes the draw is the likely outcome although there is strong support for the Hammers to pile more misery on the Toffees.

Home: 7; Draw: 9; Away: 1; TBC: 3.

* Do we have it right, or do you know better? Please don't bother with derisory comments on the predictions after the match - unless you also pulled us up before it!