The Premier League is back after a seemingly long international break with an intense clash as Tottenham Hotspur travel to Goodison Park.
Premier League action is back this weekend as Tottenham get ready to face Everton in a colossal encounter at Goodison Park. Both clubs are yet to get off to a good start in the league and this will provide both teams with a good chance at putting some points up on the board.
Mauricio Pochettino hasn’t seen his side start overly well this season so far. Although they beat Newcastle comfortably in their Premier League opener, their first league match at Wembley resulted in a 2-1 defeat against defending champions Chelsea, which was followed by a draw with Burnley at home.
The Toffees have had a mixed start to the season as well, winning one, drawing one and losing one so far and they are yet to really hit their stride with a new-look team. Ronald Koeman enjoyed a big-spending summer but their performances are yet to live up to the billing. However, he will be hopeful for a positive result on Saturday.
The Hard Tackle takes a look at both squads ahead of the match at Goodison Park.
Team News and Tactics
Everton
Seamus Coleman continues to suffer from a broken leg while Yannick Bolasie is yet to recover from a cruciate ligament injury. Ross Barkley is out with a hamstring injury while Davy Klaassen and James McCarthy remain doubtful as well.
Ronald Koeman has also confirmed that Wayne Rooney is likely to feature after a whirlwind week in which he was charged with drink-driving. Nikola Vlasic is also expected to be part of the Everton squad for the first time since joining on Deadline Day.
The Everton boss could go back to play the 5-2-2-1 that was successful enough for long spells during their match against Manchester City, but that formation is unlikely to do anything solid against Spurs. The visitors are known for limiting the space behind the defense in wide areas – which will prevent the Toffees from exploiting that area.
Thus, against Spurs, he is likely to use a more conventional setup to enable his side to create multiple scoring chances. Besides, the past two matches were away from home, so Everton will have the home advantage in this game and are likely to field a 4-3-3 formation.
Predicted lineup (4-3-3): Pickford; Baines, Jagielka, Keane, Martina; Schneiderlin, Gueye, Sigurdsson; Sandro Ramirez, Calvert Lewin, Rooney.
Tottenham Hotspur
Erik Lamela and Danny Rose remain long-term absentees for Mauricio Pochettino as Spurs look to get back to winning ways. Serge Aurier could make his debut at right-back but fellow new signing Fernando Llorente may have to wait before he gets a start.
The former Swansea City striker has been nursing a broken arm over the summer and has not made an appearance since the final day of last season, meaning he may need some more before he reaches match fitness. However, Llorente will be keen on making a start soon in order to provide some support for Harry Kane.
Quite evidently, Pochettino’s squad has been lacking focus and concentration on the field, which will definitely be a topic at the forefront of his team talk ahead of the game at Merseyside. Spurs have already dropped three points as a result of conceding goals after the 87th minute, and it is a trend which will need to be nipped in the bud soon.
Pochettino will be looking to take advantage of the fact that Everton have failed to replace Romelu Lukaku. Spurs can try putting up a solid defence in order to restrict the home side from getting near the goal. Meanwhile, Harry Kane is also under increasing pressure to get on the score-sheet for the first time this season, and he will be looking to score.
Predicted lineup (4-2-3-1): Lloris, Davies, Vertonghen, Alderweireld, Walker-Peters, Dembele, Dier, Son, Dele, Eriksen, Kane.
Key Stats
- Everton have not managed a win over Spurs in any of their last nine meetings in the Premier League.
- Spurs have only won one of their last 10 top-flight visits to Goodison Park, a 1-0 victory in May 2015 courtesy of a Harry Kane goal.
- Wayne Rooney has scored 11 goals in his last 16 Premier League appearances against Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League.
- Everton have won 91% of their last 11 home games in the Premier League and lost just 33% of their home games against the Premier League top six last season.
- The recent clashes between the two has been extremely tight affairs. And there has been only 1 win by more than 1-goal in their last 15 meetings.
Betting Odds
Favourable Bets:
1. Tottenham to win @ 2.10
2. Harry Kane to score anytime @ 1.95
Underdog Bets:
1. Harry Kane to score 2 or more @ 5.50
Prediction
Everton 1 – 1 Tottenham
Everton are a massively improved side under Koeman and will be in a confident mood at home turf after back-to-back-away games, which will be further compounded by the fact that they have a strong home record with 10 of their last 11 Premier League home games resulting in wins.
Spurs, despite failing to win back-to-back league games need to make minor changes in their attacking front to obtain more productive results. They know how to keep the ball and create chances, and with Harry Kane seemingly regaining his old form, one can expect a goal from the striker.
Having said that, Spurs could fall short at the end as Everton look in good shape to take something out of this game. Hence, THT predicts a 1-1- draw.
