Alan Shearer predicts result of West Ham United v Everton in ‘massive’ Julen Lopetegui verdict
West Ham United will head into the international break with a win over Everton, according to Alan Shearer.
The Hammers welcome the Toffees to the London Stadium on Saturday (9 November) as they look to get back to winning ways following their 3-0 thrashing at the hands of Nottingham Forest last time out.
Although BBC Sport pudnit Shearer believes the clash will be “massive” for Julen Lopetegui’s future in East London, he expects the Hammers to pull off a result for their manager and claim all three points.
Writing for Metro on Friday (8 November) he said: “This is a massive game for Julen Lopetegui. If West Ham lose, the noise around him and the club will be huge.
“Everton had a poor result against Southampton last week and they’re away again here so I’m not convinced they can turn up and win.
“I’ll go for a West Ham win because they simply have to.”
Will West Ham sack Julen Lopetegui at the London Stadium?
Shearer isn’t wrong to suggest this game could be massive not just in terms of the Hammers’ season but also Lopetegui’s tenure at the London Stadium.
While sources close to David Sullivan suggest that the former Wolves man will remain in charge regardless of the outcome against the Toffees [Jim White, 7 November], potential replacements for the Spaniard are already understood to have been identified [Guardian, 6 November].
A defeat to Dyche’s Everton side would plunge the Hammers into a genuine relegation battle. The Irons may want to stand by Lopetegui, but that could make his position untenable over the international break, especially if the fans turn on him.
Hopefully, his side can produce a performance similar to the one they managed against Ipswich Town before the last international break. Another convincing win would pull the supporters back on side and lift the entire mood around the London Stadium.
As Shearer says, Lopetegui and the Irons need a win.
In other West Ham news, Tim Steidten will be on red alert after a new Adeloma Lookman update emerged at Atalanta
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