‘Too strong’…Peter Crouch predicts result of Everton v West Ham this weekend

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Everton are still searching for their first win of 2024 after Brighton and Hove Albion’s late equaliser last weekend.

Jarrad Branthwaite’s fierce strike looked like it had secured an elusive three points. However, Lewis Dunk’s looping header earned the 10-man hosts a point.

Sean Dyche must quickly put the South Coast heartbreak to bed as West Ham United make the trip to Goodison Park this weekend.

David Moyes’ side have been in inconsistent form of late. Monday evening’s 4-2 win over Brentford was much-needed. In the three games prior, West Ham had conceded 11 and failed to hit the back of the net once.

Considering the Hammers’ recent form, Everton do have a chance to end their long wait for three points.

Peter Crouch backs Everton against West Ham

Dyche will be hoping his side’s defensive record is enough this weekend against a team that, until Monday’s rout, has struggled for goals of late.

This view is shared by former Liverpool striker Peter Crouch, who believes Everton will be “too strong” for the Hammers on Saturday.

Talking on the Peter Crouch Podcast, he said: “Everton at home, I think they are too strong for West Ham. 2-0 Everton for me.”

Strong belief from Crouch

There is a lot of confidence in Crouch’s prediction, considering 2024 has not been Everton’s year to date.

Performances have mostly been good for Everton; defensively, very little gets past the likes of Branthwaite, James Tarkowski and Jordan Pickford.

The Toffees’ defensive record shows that Dyche is implementing something positive. If he can find the right attacking formula, Everton will find their way back to an established mid-table club once again.

On the injury front, Dyche has revealed that Idrissa Gana Gueye and Amadou Onana may not be fit to start on Saturday; both are suffering from similar groin issues.

“He’s (Gueye) still settling down,” Dyche told the media on Thursday. “Amadou’s got a groin thing similar to Gana, which is just settling down, so we’ll make more of a decision on them tomorrow.”