Everton head into their encounter with West Ham United on New Year's Day looking to extend their winning streak in the Premier League to five matches.
Meanwhile, the Hammers make the trip to Goodison Park on the back of four matches without success, a run which has left the East London team in 10th position.
Match preview
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Having won four games in succession, Everton boss Carlo Ancelotti would have been disappointed that a number of positive coronavirus cases at Manchester City led to their fixture being postponed on Monday.
However, despite their momentum having been halted to a certain degree, the extra breather may prove to be a blessing in disguise come the end of the season.
The Merseyside outfit may also be able to call upon injured key men at a later date, but Ancelotti will be confident that the players currently available to him can get another win on the board on the first day of 2021.
While Everton have had to rely on several of their recent goals coming from set pieces, their improvement at the other end is what has proven decisive during Dominic Calvert-Lewin's drought in the final third.
The only strike conceded in four league games came from the penalty spot against Arsenal, and the Everton backline will expect to maintain their form against opposition who have started to falter.
Although West Ham remain within a win of returning to the top six, recording just three points from four matches is the low point of the season for David Moyes.
A goalless draw at Southampton is a respectable result in isolation, but the Scot still faces questions over the tactics used for the home fixture against Brighton & Hove Albion.
Over time, the criticism felt from what was perceived to be an unnecessary negative approach may benefit Moyes at a time when he needs to convince the club's owners to hand him a long-term contract.
However, with the fixture list looking favourable until the end of January, a poor return over the next month could lead to the hierarchy considering their options for the future.
Everton Premier League form: LDWWWW
Everton form (all competitions): DWWWLW
West Ham United Premier League form: LWDLDD
Team News
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A third game in less than a week will almost certainly result in Moyes making changes to his West Ham XI.
Jarrod Bowen, Said Benrahma and Michail Antonio are all in line to return for the Hammers, while Vladimir Coufal will expect to return at right-back.
Having impressed on his first Premier League start of the season, Craig Dawson will also expect to keep his place in defence.
Everton boss Ancelotti is still unable to call upon James Rodriguez, who has been absent since December 5.
The Italian is likely to name the same side which started at Sheffield United, a decision which would mean a second successive start for youngster Anthony Gordon.
Everton possible starting lineup:
Pickford; Holgate, Mina, Keane, Godfrey; Doucoure, Davies; Iwobi, Sigurdsson, Gordon; Calvert-Lewin
West Ham United possible starting lineup:
Fabainski; Coufal, Dawson, Ogbonna, Cresswell; Soucek, Rice; Bowen, Benrahma, Fornals; Antonio
We say: Everton 2-1 West Ham United
Having been provided with an unexpected rest earlier this week, Everton should be far sharper than a Hammers side which have played twice since their last outing. With that in mind, we are backing the Toffees to edge this game with a goal in the latter stages.
Top betting tip
Video prediction
Watch the Sports Mole Football Shorts prediction for this game below:
Darren Plant
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Everton win with a probability of 43.38%. A win for West Ham United had a probability of 31.05% and a draw had a probability of 25.6%.
The most likely scoreline for a Everton win was 1-0 with a probability of 9.99%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (9%) and 2-0 (7.41%). The likeliest West Ham United win was 0-1 (8.19%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.13%). The actual scoreline of 0-1 was predicted with an 8.2% likelihood.
