
The fifth placed Everton take on the Stoke City who sit 17th in a match with a little bit of value on the market. The match takes place at midnight tonight (AEST) and both teams are in need of a win at this early stage of the season. Stoke might seem like a longshot away from home, and that may be the case, but they’re a team you can’t rule out either.
Stoke were ordinary in their opening match of the season against Middlesbrough, but worked their way back into that game to secure a 1-1 draw. Their performance against Manchester City was far more noteworthy, with experts suggesting they were unlucky to lose. They conceded an unlucky penalty and put up a good fight against the top of the table side.
Everton on the other hand come into this game with a split record, having taken the points 2-1 against West Brom and drawn with Tottenham 1-1. Under the new managerial regime of Ronald Koeman, the side looks the goods and should go far this season. Everton’s high profile signing, Yannick Bolasie has started well too and should get game time on the weekend.
Despite Everton having the strong advantage on paper, Stoke have won three of their last four trips to Goodison Park, including the last two encounters between these sides. They seem to play the ground well and this tips the scales toward them a little more.
The issue for Stoke is there win loss record. They’ve only won two of their last 12 games, stretching back through last season, meaning they’re struggling to seal the deal in most games. Whether they can score away from home and put away a quality side in Everton will be the question.
Possible Starting Line Ups:
Everton: Stekelenburg; Holgate, Jagielka, Williams, Funes Mori, Baines; Gueye, Barry; Bolasie, Lukaku, Barkley
Stoke City: Given; Bardsley, Wollscheid, Shawcross, Pieters; Allen, Whelan, Imbula; Bojan, Diouf, Arnautovic
Odds:
All the money is with Everton to take this game. The punters clearly don’t give Stoke much chance here and the odds makers seem to agree. However, that just means there’s some good value for Stoke and their recent record against Everton shows they’re a chance. If Stoke are to win this game, they’ll need to shut down Lukaku who has scored three goals in the last four matches against Stoke.