Wednesday November 29 (20:00 GMT), Goodison Park, LIVE on BT Sport 1
David Moyes will seek to push former club Everton even further into the mire when he takes fellow strugglers West Ham to Goodison Park on Wednesday evening.
The Scot, whose arrival at the London Stadium has seen performances gradually start to improve, is yet to win a game as an opposition manager at his old stamping ground- but faces an Everton side that has conceded nine goals in their last two matches.
In the opposite dugout- potentially for the last time - is David Unsworth, who scored the first goal of Moyes' tenure on Merseyside. Sam Allardyce and Paulo Fonseca have been heavily linked with the vacant managerial role in L4 over the past few days, however it seems likely that Unsworth will take charge for what he described in his pre-match press conference as a 'must-win game'.
With Everton and West Ham 16th and 18th respectively heading into the crunch clash, defeat for either side would be close to a disaster in the circumstances.
Team news
Injury plagued Everton could be missing as many as nine first-teamers for the visit of relegation rivals West Ham.
Unsworth's biggest worry will be in defence, where Leighton Baines and Michael Keane are both doubtful after picking up knocks in the 4-1 defeat at Southampton. The duo's potential absence leaves Ashley Williams and Cuco Martina waiting in wings as potential replacements, although Unsworth may equally plump for a 3-5-2 system with Aaron Lennon at right-wing back.
Top scorer Oumar Niasse remains suspended, while Seamus Coleman, Ross Barkley, Yannick Bolasie and James McCarthy are still weeks away from contention according to the Lancastrian.
Better news for the Blues comes in the form of Tom Davies' return from a one-match ban, while Wayne Rooney and Sandro Ramirez are set to battle it out with Dominic Calvert-Lewin to start up front.
Visitors West Ham, meanwhile, have injury concerns of their own to overcome. Key men Javier Hernandez and Jose Fonte are still out, with Michail Antonio and Marko Arnautovic also doubtful for the trip to Merseyside.
James Collins is still not fully fit, so Winston Reid and Angelo Ogbonna should retain their places in defence.
Up front, Andy Carroll is likely to lead the line, supported by the likes of Andre Ayew and Manuel Lanzini.
What they said
David Unsworth: “The players need to stand up and be counted. We need men and we need mental toughness. Those players who have not got the bottle to stand up for the fight need to be honest and say it. In January we might need to recruit proven Premier League players who are up for the fight.
“It’s a must-win game. Every Everton fan won’t care how we play, it’s important we win the game.
"When you play for Everton it is not just any football club. It is really intense. Top players have struggled so it takes a real strength of character to stand up and be counted. I want my players to fight. We need tough players, mentally tough players.
“As far as I am aware I will be in charge tomorrow night unless somebody tells me differently. I have already picked the team in my own mind.”
David Moyes: "I spent 11 seasons at Everton as manager but there will be no room for sentiment when I go back to Goodison Park on Wednesday night because I need to win with West Ham. It's really important we try and pick up three points. We got our first point last week and we need a first clean sheet and a first three points. I’m hoping to get them when I go back to Goodison.
"That said, I very much have sympathy with Everton’s own predicament because that club was part of my life, part of my family's life, for a great deal of time.
“I think David Unsworth, given the right opportunity, will be a successful manager. If he doesn’t take the Everton job, I would be telling Unsy: ‘Go and manage somewhere and earn your corn. If you want to move on go and get a job in the Championship or League One, see where it takes you to’.”
Expected starting lineups
Everton: Pickford; Kenny, Jagielka, Williams, Martina; Lennon, Davies, Gueye, Sigurdsson; Rooney, Calvert-Lewin
West Ham: Hart; Zabaleta, Reid, Ogbonna, Cresswell; Kouyaté, Obiang; Ayew, Lanzini, Masuaku; Carroll
Prediction
Weak at the back, porous in midfield and unable to score with enough regularity in the final third, the worry for Everton must be that they dig themselves a hole from which they are unable to escape. Indeed, the ease with which Southampton and Atalanta dismantled the Blues last week poses serious questions over the mentality of a squad that has now hit rock bottom.
That said, the upcoming double-header against West Ham and Huddersfield does, at least, provide a golden opportunity to get back on track in the league. However unlikely, two wins from two would allay fears and see the Merseysiders move up the table.
David Moyes' West Ham, though, have improved in recent weeks- and in Andy Carroll boast the kind of striker that has troubled Everton repeatedly of late. After Southampton's Charlie Austin pointed the way on Sunday, ex-Liverpool striker Carroll's aerial prowess will almost certainly be crucial to his side's hopes of claiming three points at Goodison.
As such, failure to stop crosses coming into the box could result in disaster for David Unsworth and Co on Wednesday evening.
Everton 2-2 West Ham
