Everton line-ups for West Ham as Ndiaye position changed and Armstrong recalled

However, despite the setback, David Moyes’ side remain firmly in the mix for European football.

But with both Jarrad Branthwaite and Beto set to miss the game in the capital, Blues boss Moyes has some selection decisions to make.

And ahead of the game, our writers have picked the XIs that they'd like to see start for Everton in what is a crucial encounter at both ends of the table.

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David Moyes’ suggestion that Thierno Barry should not take his starting spot for granted offer an intriguing angle to his team selection.

The news Beto is unavailable was a body blow meaning that, with Jarrad Branthwaite out for the season, Everton are without their two best players against Liverpool and two of their most important figures for the run-in.

For what it’s worth, I would start Barry. But given Moyes has floated the idea of something different, this is what I would do if I was looking at an alternative.

The question, really, is Tyrique George or Iliman Ndiaye up front. I would go for Ndiaye.

George was good off the bench against Brentford but struggled against Liverpool and I thought he looked a touch lightweight in that game.

Axel Disasi and Konstantinos Mavropanos are an imposing centre-back pairing and so if I were to take them on without the presence of Beto, I would use Ndiaye and turn it into a battle of guile, attempting to get the Senegal international to drop off the defenders to get the ball and run at them. There is no point waging an aerial battle so turn it into a ground war.

With Ndiaye dropping into pockets of space, I would have Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and James Garner as a central midfield pairing alongside Tim Iroegbunam.

I think the Blues missed a physical presence in the middle of the pitch last week and I would bring in Iroegbunam in place of Idrissa Gueye because to add some height and power.

Out wide, the temptation will be to start Dwight McNeil and I wouldn’t be that surprised if Harrison Armstrong returned to the left wing - where he was used against Brighton and Fulham.

I would go a different way. This might be a gamble but I would put George on the left and Tyler Dibling on the right. That might sound reckless but if Everton cannot go for the direct route they have to be able to threaten West Ham on the floor and they are two young players with plenty of talent who can put the home defence on the back foot. My trade off is the lack of a 10 and the full backs, who are both defensively minded.

With Michael Keane partnering James Tarkowski, Iroebugnam in front of them and Dewsbury-Hall and Garner starting a bit deeper, they would be the foundation that would keep things tight, maybe draw West Ham forward and create the space to spring Dibling, George and Ndiaye forward.

My team (4-3-3): Pickford, O'Brien, Tarkowski, Keane, Mykolenko; Iroebugnam, Garner, Dewsbury-Hall; Dibling, Ndiaye, George.

The big question around team news this afternoon is how David Moyes replaces the injured Beto.

Given what the Scot said on Friday afternoon in his pre-match press conference and Thierno Barry’s display off the bench against Liverpool last time out, it wouldn’t be surprising if the forward found himself starting on the bench again.

But if that is the case, then that means that Moyes is about to try something different. If it was down to me, then I would start Iliman Ndiaye up top, supported by Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall.

Behind them would be James Garner and Idrissa Gueye, with Dwight McNeil and Harrison Armstrong starting on either flank. Unfortunately, Tyrique George didn’t do enough last week when he came off the bench against the Reds to show he deserves to start.

While at the back, Michael Keane should come in for Jarrad Branthwaite, with James Tarkowski, Jake O’Brien and Vitalii Mykolenko making up the back-four.

My team (4-2-3-1): Pickford; O’Brien, Keane, Tarkowski, Mykolenko; Gueye, Garner; McNeil, Dewsbury-Hall, Armstrong; Ndiaye.

Following the 2-2 draw at Brentford, Everton manager David Moyes named an unchanged side for the Merseyside derby but he’s going to have to make at least two enforced changes for what is the middle fixture of his side’s five straight away trips to London to finish the season.

One of those is hopefully just a short-term blow with Beto out due to concussion after he was forced off with a swelling on his face after he’d scored the equalising goal against Liverpool, his fourth strike in his last three outings. After confirming this, Moyes handed out some tough love to Beto’s replacement against the Reds, Thierno Barry, suggesting that the Frenchman might not be a shoo-in to spearhead the attack at West Ham United.

Despite the stark warning from the Blues boss, who celebrates his 63rd birthday as he returns to his previous employers for the first time, the truth is that Barry, along with Beto, who will miss out for the first time, and James Garner, is one of just three Everton players to feature in every game so far this season.

It’s been something of a job share arrangement with him and Beto up front and at least one of them has been present on the pitch for every minute of the campaign so despite his lacklustre display against Arne Slot’s side, Barry should still ultimately get the nod.

While Beto will hopefully be back soon, the same cannot be said for Jarrad Branthwaite who left the pitch at Hill Dickinson Stadium on a stretcher.

It was a sickening sight to see the defender, who is arguably Everton’s most valuable player, suffer yet another injury blow after he was sidelined from competitive football four eight months between the final match at Goodison Park last May and his return to action against Leeds United in January. Since coming back, Branthwaite has added a new dimension to the Blues’ play in the way he combines an imposing physical presence with his ability to carry the ball out from the back and pass through the lines while also helping to make James Tarkowski and Vitalii Mykolenko look more solid either side of him.

‘The Carlisle Kaiser’ will be a big miss against the Irons but hopefully Michael Keane, boosted by the news this week that he’s staying on for a 10th season with Everton, can prove an able deputy with the 33-year-old also presenting a strong case to be the Blues’ most consistent defensive performer this term.

My team (4-2-3-1): Pickford; O’Brien, Tarkowski, Keane, Mykolenko; Gueye, Garner; McNeil, Dewsbury-Hall, Ndiaye; Barry.