West Ham manager Manuel Pellegrini has admitted his surprise at Everton's start to the Premier League season.
The Blues currently find themselves in the relegation zone after eight matches of the campaign despite being handed what looked to be a relatively favourable early fixture list.
Marco Silva finds himself under increased pressure as boss as his side are in a run of four straight league defeats, and will certainly be hoping to turn that run around against the Hammers this weekend.
Pellegrini's side sit in eighth in the table after Crystal Palace ended their six-game unbeaten run just before the international break, and the boss admitted he is surprised to see a strong Everton squad struggling as they are.
He told his pre-match press conference: "[Surprised by their position?] Maybe, yes. They have very good players and a team that is very strong every year.
"I suppose I expected them to not be in that position in the table.
"Because we won that game last season, it is in that moment we played in the way we wanted to. We want the same result again this time as well.
"It is difficult to analyse their situation. Last season we beat them there when we were in a position that they are now.
"Games are always different though, I am sure we will find an Everton with high pace and looking to get better results than their last games."
Everton were victorious at the London Stadium last time the two sides met, with goals from Kurt Zouma and Bernard enough to seal a 2-0 victory in March.
However, it was West Ham who got the upper hand in the last Goodison meeting betwen the sides, winning 3-1 on Merseyside last September.
