Everton and Wolverhampton Wanderers will be desperate to kick-start their Premier League campaigns when they meet at Goodison Park on Monday.
The 2022/23 Premier League season will resume on Monday with the traditional Boxing Day fixtures. The first round of fixtures after the 2022 FIFA World Cup will begin with the London Derby between Brentford and Tottenham Hotspur. And Everton and Wolverhampton Wanderers will meet in a crucial game at Goodison Park on Monday afternoon.
Everton started the season superbly, with Frank Lampard forging one of the meanest defences in the Premier League. But the Toffees had been on a downward spiral heading into the World Cup break, winning just one of their last seven games to drop to 17th on the table. And Lampard will be desperate to not get sucked into another relegation dogfight.
On the other hand, Wolverhampton Wanderers have endured a disastrous start to the Premier League season. The Midlands outfit won only two of the opening 15 games to sit rock bottom in the standings. And that has cost Bruno Lage his job, with Julen Lopetegui replacing the Portuguese tactician at the helm at the Molineux.
The corresponding fixture last season saw Wolverhampton Wanderers eke out a narrow 1-0 win over Everton. Conor Coady, now on loan at the Merseyside club, scored the game’s only goal. The Hard Tackle now takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Everton
The boss on the fitness of Calvert-Lewin and Townsend ahead of #EVEWOL and the upcoming fixtures.
Watch: https://t.co/Mw50Mkrjfs pic.twitter.com/yeCbR1VJWa
— Everton (@Everton) December 23, 2022
Frank Lampard has greeted a mixed bag of updates on the team news front ahead of the visit of Wolverhampton Wanderers. On Monday, the Everton manager might be bereft of the services of four first-team players.
Lampard is sweating over the fitness of Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who has been recovering from a knee injury in the past month. The English international will face a late fitness test to determine his availability. But Conor Coady will be unavailable as he is ineligible to face his parent club. In addition, James Garner (back) and Andros Townsend (knee) are on the sidelines.
Mason Holgate might not be fit enough to feature for Everton against Wolverhampton Wanderers. So Yerry Mina will likely get an opportunity to fill Coady’s void, forming the central defensive partnership with James Tarkowski. Nathan Patterson and Vitaliy Mykolenko will form the full-back pairing, with Jordan Pickford starting between the sticks.
Alex Iwobi has been Everton’s best player this season. And the Nigerian international will look to drive the Toffees deep into the final third when he gets the ball at his feet. At the same time, Iwobi will provide defensive support to Idrissa Gueye and Amadou Onana in the middle of the park.
Anthony Gordon’s future remains uncertain amid the interest from Chelsea and Tottenham. But the youngster remains Everton’s prized possession and will aim to make his mark on Monday. Neal Maupay and Demarai Gray will complete the offensive unit for the Toffees.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Pickford; Patterson, Mina, Tarkowski, Mykolenko; Iwobi, Gueye, Onana; Gordon, Maupay, Gray
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Matheus Cunha will be the first signing of the summer transfer window for Wolverhampton Wanderers. But the Brazilian international is not available to take on Everton. Otherwise, Julen Lopetegui might be without five first-team players on Boxing Day.
Chiquinho (knee), Pedro Neto (ankle), and Sasa Kalajdzic (knee) remain long-term absentees for the visitors. In addition, Lopetegui is sweating over the fitness of Boubacar Traore (knock) and Jonny Otto (hamstring), with the duo unlikely to start against Everton.
We've found one more gift under the tree.
🇧🇷🎁 pic.twitter.com/uVNEsBDUfC
— Wolves (@Wolves) December 25, 2022
Jose Sa will take his usual spot between the sticks, with Wolverhampton Wanderers lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him against Everton. Nelson Semedo and Hugo Bueno should be the two full-backs, with Nathan Collins and Max Kilman forming the central defensive partnership.
Ruben Neves and Matheus Nunes will be the workhorses in the middle of the park for the visitors. The duo will not only protect the backline but also look to provide the forward thrust from the midfield.
Raul Jimenez picks himself as the leader of the offensive unit amid Diego Costa’s struggles. The Mexican international will be desperate to make his mark before Cunha arrives in January. And Jimenez will line up alongside Daniel Podence, Adama Traore, and Goncalo Guedes in the final third.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Sa; Semedo, Collins, Kilman, Bueno; Neves, Nunes; Traore, Podence, Guedes; Jimenez
Key Stats
- Everton have lost their last two Premier League games to Wolverhampton Wanderers, as many as they had in their previous 12 (W5 D5). They last lost more matches in a row versus the Midlands outfit between 1957 and 1960 (a run of five).
- Monday will be the fifth time Everton and Wolverhampton Wanderers will face off in a league match on Boxing Day, with the other four all taking place at Molineux between 1901 and 1974. Wolves have won three of the previous four fixtures, losing only in 1904.
- Everton have won their most recent three Boxing Day league games, and they last had a longer run between 1984 and 1990 (7). On the other hand, Wolverhampton Wanderers are winless in their last seven top-flight Boxing Day games (D2 L5) since beating Birmingham 2-1 in 1978. This is their first fixture on this date since the 2018/19 campaign (1-1 at Fulham).
- Everton have won just one of their last seven league games (D1 L5), failing to score in five of their last six. The Toffees have not found the back of the net in 13 Premier League games since Frank Lampard’s first game in charge in February, with only Wolverhampton Wanderers (14) doing so more in that time.
- Including caretakers, none of the last ten managers to take charge of Wolverhampton Wanderers in the top flight have won their first game (D3 L7). Julen Lopetegui will aim to be the first boss to win his first top-flight game in charge of the club since John Barnwell in November 1978.
Player to Watch
Raul Jimenez
Raul Jimenez faces a few crucial games to secure his future at Wolverhampton Wanderers. Recent reports have suggested that he might not be at the Midlands club for long. But the Mexican international will be eager to set the record straight and show he can bring value to Julen Lopetegui’s team.
The 31-year-old has not been the same player since recovering from a head injury. But he will need to rediscover his best touch to remain with Wolverhampton Wanderers next year. So the Everton game is extremely crucial for Jimenez.
Prediction
Everton 0-0 Wolverhampton Wanderers
Julen Lopetegui got off to a winning start as the Wolverhampton Wanderers manager, beating Gillingham 2-0 in the Carabao Cup. And the Spaniard will be eager to end the Midlands club’s 44-year wait for a Boxing Day win on Monday. But Everton will not be a walk in the park for the visitors.
The Merseyside outfit might have been on a downward spiral ahead of the World Cup break but will have recharged the batteries after the month-long hiatus. And Frank Lampard will have seen his charges get back to basics. So Wolverhampton Wanderers might have many holes to exploit. On the other end, the visitors might not give an inch either. And this game has the makings of a goalless stalemate.
