West Ham are back in action this afternoon as they look to return to winning ways in the Premier League.

David Moyes and his squad head to his old stomping ground, Goodison Park, to face an in-form Everton side who are above them in the standings.

Right before the international break, the Irons suffered only their second defeat of the 2021/22 campaign, losing late to newly-promoted Brentford at the London Stadium.

It leaves the Hammers in tenth place, though a victory up in Merseyside could see Moyes' men overtake the Toffees, who currently occupy a spot in the top six.

There are plenty of selection headaches facing the Scotsman, however. He hinted at injury troubles in his pre-game press conference and it remains to be seen how fatigued some of his players are after the break, with many out serving their respective countries.

The starting XI that tasted an agonising defeat to the Bees is the manager's usual team but with only one clean sheet in seven outings, perhaps it is time to tweak the backline.

Kurt Zouma should remain but maybe Moyes could opt for his fellow countryman, Issa Diop, over the vastly-experienced Angelo Ogbonna, who was amongst West Ham's lowest-rated players (6.4) against Brentford.

The French duo struck up a very good partnership in their win over Dinamo Zagreb in the Europa League, whilst his three 90 minute appearances this campaign have coincided with three clean sheets.

In recent seasons, he has struggled for game time, particularly under Moyes but Diop looks a different animal and it could be time to trust him in the Premier League.

He's certainly going to outlast the likes of Craig Dawson and Ogbonna, who are in the thirties.

Valued at £13.5m by Transfermarkt, the 24-year-old beast was described as a "colossus" for his part in their Carabao Cup win over Manchester United by assistant manager Stuart Pearce, echoing the thoughts of Jose Mourinho, who once dubbed him a "monster" for a similar performance against the very same team in 2018.

At Old Trafford, the 6 foot 4 star recorded two tackles, three interceptions and two aerial duels won, via WhoScored, proving to be an absolute rock up against Jadon Sancho, Anthony Martial and last season's loan sensation Jesse Lingard.

The Toffees are not only in-form but on their day, they have a lethal frontline, including England international Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who has bagged 19 goals in 36 league games since the start of last season, and Richarlison among others.

Diop's aerial and physical ability could be exactly what Moyes needs to help secure a clean sheet against his former side, so on the above evidence, it would be a wise decision to unleash Diop from the off today.

AND in other news, David Moyes drops worrying West Ham injury claim ahead of Everton clash...