'Really difficult..' - David Moyes makes Everton prediction for West Ham clash

Former Everton and West Ham United boss David Moyes has had his say on the weekend’s game, as he predicted a tight affair between the two sides.

A game which could be nicknamed the ‘David Moyes derby’ sees two of his former sides - from arguably his two best spells in management - face off on Saturday in the Premier League. Since leaving West Ham, the club has struggled under new boss Julen Lopategui, as they are sat languishing in 14th, two points above Everton despite spending £132.5m in the summer transfer window.

They’ve lost two of their last three which included heavy defeats to Tottenham and Nottingham Forest, while Everton saw their five-game unbeaten run come to an end against Southampton last week, as they fell to a difficult defeat. When asked to predict the game, he claimed it was really difficult to pick between his two former sides - but he praised Everton for their resilience in the process. “Everton aren’t easy to beat because I know they lost to Southampton but they are normally very hard to play against,” he said on the latest episode of the ‘Stick To Football’ show.

Moyes and Gary Neville backed a 2-2 draw while the opposing team of Roy Keane, Ian Wright and Jill Scott also backed a score draw, selecting 1-1 as their final prediction. A draw would, in theory, help both sides to stabilise somewhat after a difficult result last weekend but their recent head-to-head form suggests we will see a winner.

Across their last five meetings in all competitions, we’ve seen a winner. West Ham have won three times while Everton have won twice, with Sean Dyche’s side edging a 1-0 victory at the London Stadium last season before succumbing to a 3-1 defeat at Goodison Park.

Dyche’s side will not have to face a few players due to suspension with midfielder Edson Alvarez out of action after being sent off last weekend, while Mohamed Kudus continues to serve his suspension after his straight card against Tottenham. They are also without star summer signing Niclas Fullkrug who hasn’t featured since August. Plus, Tomas Soucek is also a key doubt.