After their crushing defeat to Manchester City in the Capital One Cup semi-finals, Everton have reeled off three straight wins and will look to make it four in a row as they face West Brom. Here are five things to keep an eye on during the game. 

Aaron Lennon's form 

Aaron Lennon is the man in form at Goodison Park right now. The winger has scored in three straight games including in their last win against Stoke City.

Don't be surprised if Roberto Martinez pegs the former Tottenham Hotspur man to start on the wing.

He has been explosive in attack and the fact that he is scoring goals at a rapid pace should be enough to keep him on the pitch.

Everton's horrid defending at home 

Goodison Park has not been a happy home hunting ground for the Toffees as they have under-performed in front of their own fans.

While Everton can surely score, they are also prone to giving up goals just as fast.

But they grabbed an important win at home against Newcastle United and hopefully that maybe spark a better performance at home. 

The impact of Oumar Niasse 

Oumar Niasse, Everton's newest signing, is expected to make his debut against West Brom and it will be Evertonians first glimpse at the striker from Lokomotiv Moscow.

Although he hasn't played a professional game since December, expect Martinez to put the striker on in the second half as a sub.

Time to see why Everton splashed some money on the striker as they search for a quality backup to Romelu Lukaku

The last meeting between these two was a cracker. | Image source: Sky Sports
The last meeting between these two was a cracker. | Image source: Sky Sports

Stability in the midfield 

One main positive in Everton's winning streak has been the play of James McCarthy, who recently returned from injury for the Toffees.

The former Wigan Athletic man has been one of the top performers in the midfield for Everton and it's easy to see that his return has helped spark them into a run of form.

Look for him to help Everton control possession and help the transition from defense to offense on the counter. 

Could we be seeing a miracle run from Everton? 

The Toffees have won three games in a row and suddenly they find themselves in 9th place, six points behind 5th place Manchester United, in the Europa League spot.

With some favorable matchups coming their way and considering that they are in a mini-run of form, Everton could be in the midst of a miracle run back to Europe. 

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About the author
Vijay Vemu
Vijay is a sports journalist who covers mainly the NBA and soccer. He is a credential reporter on the Chicago Fire and also covers NBA for VAVEL as well. He is also a editor for Mash Chicago, the publication of the Chicago Tribune. He is also a contributor at SB Nation's Blog A Bull and Big East Coast Bias as well as writing on European Soccer as well. He plans on attending the University of Illnois at Chicago (UIC) in the fall with a major in computer science. You can follow him on Twitter : @VJVemu