Everton picked up their first win of the season against Brentford in the Premier League last time out, and they will be looking to build on that performance versus Luton Town.
Everton are 15th in the Premier League table, and they will look to put together a winning run and climb up the table when they take on Luton Town at Goodison Park on Saturday afternoon.
On the other hand, Luton Town are 18th in the standings, and they have failed to win a single league game so far. They are coming into this game on the back of a draw against Wolves in the Premier League, and it remains to be seen whether they can pull off an upset at Goodison Park.
Neither side are in particularly good form right now. But Everton are certainly the better team here, and they will be the favourites heading into the contest. The Toffees will look to grind out a comprehensive home win and pile further misery on the visitors.
The last time these two sides met was back in 2007 and Everton managed to emerge victorious. And The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Back at Goodison. Back to #PL action.
COYB! 🔵 #EVELUT pic.twitter.com/3fYamJmQQN
— Everton (@Everton) September 28, 2023
Team News & Tactics
Everton
The home side will be without the services of Dele Alli and Seamus Coleman. The two players are ruled out with a groin injury and knee injury, respectively.
Everton are likely to shape up in a 4-4-2 formation, with Jordan Pickford in goal. Ashley Young and Vitaliy Mykolenko will be deployed as the full-backs, and they will look to help out in the attack and keep the defence compact. Jarrad Branthwaite will start in the central defence alongside James Tarkowski.
Arnaut Danjuma and Dwight McNeil will be the wingers here, and they will look to create counter-attacking opportunities and protect the full-backs. Amadou Onana will start in the heart of the midfield alongside Idrissa Gueye.
The two players will look to break up the opposition attacks and win the ball back for their side. Finally, Dominic Calvert-Lewin will lead the line for Everton alongside summer signing Beto.
Probable Lineup (4-4-2): Pickford; Young, Branthwaite, Tarkowski, Mykolenko; Danjuma, Gueye, Onana, McNeil; Calvert-Lewin, Beto
Luton Town
Luton Town have a number of injury issues ahead of this contest. They will be without Albert Sambi Lokonga because of a thigh injury, Dan Potts because of an ankle injury, Gabriel Osho with a knee injury. Jordan Clark is sidelined with an ankle injury as well.
The visitors are likely to line up in a 3-5-2 formation, with Thomas Kaminski in goal. At the heart of the defence, Mads Andersen, Tom Lockyer, and Reece Burke are set to start in a back three. Issa Kabore and Alfie Doughty will start as the wing-backs, and they will look to help out defensively and contribute to counter-attacks.
Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu, Marvelous Nakamba, and Tahith Chong will start in central midfield for Luton. They will look to provide defensive, cover and work rate in the middle of the park. Finally, Carlton Morris will lead the line for the away side alongside Jacob Brown.
Probable Lineup (3-5-2): Kaminski; Andersen, Lockyer, Burke; Kabore, Chong, Lokonga, Nakamba, Doughty; Morris, Brown
Key Stats
- Luton have failed to win their last 5 matches in the Premier League.
- Everton have kept a clean sheet in their last two meetings against Luton Town.
- Everton are unbeaten in four of the last five matches across all competitions.
- Luton Town have lost four of the last six matches across all competitions.
Key Player
Dominic Calvert-Lewin
DCL9. 💙 pic.twitter.com/vMjn0DWXOh
— Everton (@Everton) September 27, 2023
The Everton striker is our key player to watch out for this weekend. Calvert-Lewin has scored in his last two appearances for Everton, and he will look to get on the score sheet against Luton Town as well.
The visitors have been abysmal defensively, and they are likely to struggle against the Everton attack. Calvert-Lewin should be able to cause all sorts of problems for the visitors with his movement and link-up play. The English striker is likely to extend his scoring run here.
Prediction
Everton 2-0 Luton Town
Everton are undoubtedly the better team here, and they should be able to pick up all three points. They have beaten Luton Town twice in the last two meetings between the teams and are likely to extend that run here.
The away side are lacking in confidence and momentum right now, and Everton should be able to pile further misery on them. The visitors will have to be on top of their game to get anything out of this contest, and they will need a major slice of luck as well. On the other hand, Everton will be brimming with confidence after the win over Brentford and they should be able to get the job done here.