Nuno Espirito Santo believes finding balance throughout his West Ham team will be crucial in ensuring they retain their Premier League status for next season. 

West Ham edged closer to safety after playing out a goalless draw with Crystal Palace on Monday, with the gap now two points to London rivals Tottenham in 18th place. 

The Opta supercomputer has assigned the Hammers a 36.4% chance of joining Wolves and Burnley in the Championship, while Tottenham's probability is rated at 59.1%. 

Nuno's side have five more games to save their campaign, with the first of those coming at London Stadium on Saturday, with former boss David Moyes returning with Everton. 

Moyes has already won away at former club Manchester United in November this season, and he will be looking to join an elite set of managers upon his return.

Only Harry Redknapp in 2009-10 (Portsmouth and West Ham), Roy Hodgson in 2011-12 (Liverpool and Blackburn Rovers) and 2020-21 (Fulham and West Brom) and Nuno in 2024-25 (Tottenham and Wolves) have won away at two former clubs in a single campaign. 

And though Nuno cited West Ham's improvement within their squad as key to success, he also added that their home support will also prove to be pivotal.

"The players are improving their levels and the standards. As long as we improve our players, the team will improve," Nuno told reporters. 

"We have been solid in defence, good in attack, sometimes not so good. Finding that balance in the remaining matches is going to be crucial for us.

"Since we joined, it has been one of our main goals to try to be comfortable at home. Credit to the fans.

"I think the fans realise the situation of the team and really put an effort in to support us. The team is giving back and the atmosphere has been good.

"Three games out of [the past] five at home has really helped us."

Everton arrive in the capital looking to respond to their late defeat to Liverpool in the first Merseyside derby at the Hill Dickinson Stadium last time out. 

Virgil van Dijk netted a 100th-minute winner to steal all three points for the Reds, while also dealing Everton's hopes of securing Champions League football next term a blow. 

The Toffees are now eight points adrift of Liverpool in fifth, with their chances of qualifying for UEFA's flagship competition now rated at just 0.7%. 

But ahead of the 2026-27 campaign, Everton announced on Thursday that defender Michael Keane had put pen to paper on a new one-year contract extension which will take him to 10 years on Merseyside. 

In the Premier League this season, only Van Dijk, Malick Thiaw, Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero (all four) have scored more goals than Keane's three among defenders in the division, and the 33-year-old was delighted to extend his stay with the club. 

"I'm really happy," Keane told the club's media after penning his new deal. "The club means a lot to me. It's one of those things that's easy to say, but it has become part of me.

"It's who I am, and it feels like family to me – the people around the club, the fans, the players and the staff. I couldn't really imagine my life without Everton.

"I didn't know what was going to happen last summer. I didn't know where I was going to end up. I'm guessing people were doubting me, but I've always had belief in myself.

"So to prove again this season that I am good enough and that I can do it has been really pleasing.

"I've seen a lot here and been through a lot, so it's good that we're now in a much better place than what we have been in the past.

"I go into my 10th season feeling really positive, and thinking about what we can achieve and where we can be is really exciting."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

West Ham – Callum Wilson

Wilson has fallen down the pecking order at West Ham, but he may be used from the start, given he has scored eight goals in his last seven league appearances against Everton.

Indeed, only against his current side West Ham has he netted more times overall in the competition (12), and another goal here could help the Hammers pull clear of safety.

Everton – Beto

In the Premier League in 2026, Everton's Beto has scored seven goals from just 19 shots (37% shot conversion) and is averaging a goal every 81 minutes.

Before 2026, he'd scored 12 goals from 111 attempts (11%) and averaged a goal every 271 minutes, and he will be aiming to build on his goal in the Merseyside derby.

MATCH PREDICTION: DRAW

Each of the last three Premier League meetings between West Ham and Everton have been drawn, as many as in the previous 24 (eight West Ham wins, 13 Everton).

Everton have, however, won more top-flight games against West Ham both overall (29) and away from home (13) than they have against any other opponent in the competition.

The Toffees have also won 25 away league points this term (W7 D4 L5), their best in a season since 2020-21 (37). They have only won three of their last 15 games in London, though (D5 L7).

West Ham are, however, unbeaten in their last five Premier League home games (W2 D3), last having a better unbeaten run at the London Stadium between November and February in 2023-24 under current Everton boss Moyes.

The Hammers have won just three of their last 17 league home games against Everton (D5 L9), though two of those have come in their last four against them at the London Stadium (D1 L1).

West Ham have also kept a clean sheet in both of their last two league games. They last kept three successive Premier League shutouts in January 2024 (run of four).

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

West Ham – 36.6%

Draw – 26.2%

Everton – 37.1%