Everton will host Leeds United in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon, desperate to pick up all three points at home.
Everton are coming into the game against Leeds United on the back of a derby defeat to Liverpool. And the fans will be expecting a strong reaction from the players. The Toffees are currently 18th in the league table and they cannot afford to keep dropping points.
A defeat to Leeds United would be a devastating blow for Everton. Meanwhile, the Whites are 17th in the league table, and this will be a relegation six-pointer. A win here could be massive in the context of the relegation battle. Everton will look to pull clear of the bottom three with a win here.
Meanwhile, Leeds are coming into this game on the back of a 2-0 defeat against Manchester United, and they will look to bounce back. The Whites will feel that Everton are inconsistent and they are lacking in form. This is a good opportunity for Leeds to grind out a positive result.
That said, they will need to improve considerably in order to get all three points out of this contest. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
— Leeds United (@LUFC) February 17, 2023
Team News and Tactics
Everton
Everton will be without the services of James Garner, Nathan Patterson, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, and Andros Townsend. Other than that, Sean Dyche should be able to field his strongest lineup here.
Sean Dyche confirms Dominic Calvert-Lewin is unavailable for #EVELEE.
Watch live: https://t.co/PvRvjZ1Qpy pic.twitter.com/QGCiaGCpiZ
— Everton (@Everton) February 16, 2023
Jordan Pickford will look to make amends for his error against Liverpool with a strong performance in goal. Seamus Coleman and Vitaliy Mykolenko will start as the full-backs, and they will look to help out in both phases of the player.
Conor Coady and James Tarkowski struggled against Liverpool and they will have to be careful against Leeds here at the heart of Everton’s defence.
A five-man midfield is expected here, with Alex Iwobi and Dwight McNeil acting as the wing-backs/wingers. Idrissa Gueye, Amadou Onana, and Abdoulaye Doucoure will look to add defensive cover and physicality in the middle of the park. Finally, Neal Maupay will lead the line for the hosts.
Probable Lineup (4-5-1): Pickford; Coleman, Coady, Tarkowski, Mykolenko; Iwobi, Onana, Gueye, Doucoure, McNeil; Maupay
Leeds United
Leeds have a number of injury concerns ahead of the trip to Goodison Park. Rodrigo Moreno will be a notable absentee for the visitors. Archie Gray, Adam Forshaw and Stuart Dallas are sidelined with injuries as well.
Ilan Meslier is set to continue in goal against Everton, with a back four of Luke Ayling, Liam Cooper Max Wober, and Junior Firpo ahead of him. Firpo and Ayling will look to provide width to the side during transitions and look to overload the Everton defence.
Tyler Adams will partner with his compatriot Weston McKennie in a midfield pivot. While Adams will look to win the ball back for Leeds, McKennie will look to add creativity and drive.
Crysencio Summerville and Wilfried Gnonto will start as the wingers here. Gnonto has been excellent in recent weeks, and he will be looking to cause all sorts of problems for the Everton backline. Jack Harrison is likely to be deployed in the hole, behind Patrick Bamford.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Meslier; Ayling, Cooper, Wober, Firpo; Adams, McKennie; Summerville, Harrison, Gnonto; Bamford
Key Stats
- Leeds United have failed to win their last nine matches in the Premier League.
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Everton have failed to win nine of their last ten matches in the Premier League.
- 15 goals have been scored in the last six matches between these two sides.
- Everton have conceded 13 goals in their last six matches across all competitions.
- Everton have scored just 16 goals in 22 league matches this season.
Player to watch
Wilfried Gnonto
The Leeds United youngster has been in sublime form lately, and he was outstanding against Manchester United at Old Trafford. Gnonto will look to trouble the Everton defenders with his pace and flair.
The likes of Conor Coady and James Tarkowski struggled with the pace and physicality of Darwin Nunez. And they could face similar issues against Gnonto. The Italian striker is our player to watch this weekend.
Prediction
Everton 1-1 Leeds
Neither side can really afford to drop points here, and they will be desperate to secure a win. This is likely to be a close contest, and the two teams could end up cancelling each other out.
Neither side are in particularly good form, although Everton have been quite poor compared to Leeds United in their last few outings. The Hard Tackle predicts a 1-1 draw at Goodison Park this weekend.
