TEAM NEWS – West Ham United
West Ham manager Sam Allardyce remains short of attacking options. Andy Carroll (heel) is proving to be a big loss for the misfiring Hammers whilst the game comes too soon for new signing Mladen Petric, who is still striving to improve his fitness.
Joe Cole (hamstring) and Stewart Downing (leg) are also missing, as is defender George McCartney who has returned to training following a knee injury, while Alou Diarra (knee) is a long-term absentee.
TEAM NEWS – Everton
Loan signing Romelu Lukaku is set for his Everton debut having been ineligible for last weekend’s fixture against parent club Chelsea.
Fellow striker Arouna Kone is also expected to return to the squad after a knee injury along with midfielder Darron Gibson, who has not featured this season because of a knee injury.
Midfielder Steven Pienaar (hamstring) is rated 50-50 but centre-back Antolin Alcaraz is still recovering from a similar problem.