West Ham United FC return to action with a long trip to Everton following the international break as they bid to continue their strong start to the new campaign.

The Hammers will head to Goodison Park on Sunday (2pm), looking to bounce back from a narrow 2-1 defeat to Brentford prior to the break which saw them slip down to ninth in the Premier League table.

Everton are currently sitting fifth with just one defeat in their opening seven league fixtures, which shows the impact of Rafa Benitez’s arrival in the summer.

The Toffees could, however, be without left-back Lucas Digne who was forced to withdraw from the France squad after suffering a hamstring injury.

Strike duo Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison are both injured as are Andre Gomes, Seamus Coleman and Fabian Delph – meaning Everton could be without a number of key players for the clash.

Whether any of those players will return in time for Sunday is not yet known, but the Hammers seem fairly fit and will be eager to get back to winning ways.

However, Vladimir Coufal withdrew from international duty with the Czech Republic due to a niggling groin problem.

Whether he is passed fit in time for Sunday’s clash remains to be seen but it could prove to be a chance for Ryan Fredericks, who has performed well whenever he has been called upon this season.

West Ham United’s head of medical, Richard Collinge, said: “Vladimir has a slight groin injury that has caused him some discomfort.

“Both ourselves and the Czech Republic medical team agreed that it would be beneficial for him to get some rest during this period, and we will manage his recovery carefully with a view to him being available for selection again as soon as possible.”

The Hammers will host Genk in the Europa League on Thursday (October, 21) and then Tottenham Hotspur in the league on Sunday (October, 24) before a mid-week Carabao Cup tie against Manchester City.

Manager David Moyes will have to rotate his squad to deal with the congested fixture list.