Everton will be hoping to avoid a European hangover when they take on Leicester City at Goodison Park this Sunday afternoon.
Roberto Martinez’ team picked up a much needed win against Young Boys in Switzerland during the week but with their Premier League form being so poor lately, they will have to make sure they are at their best if they are to avoid the curse of playing on a Thursday night.
Leicester suffered yet another defeat last weekend, this time in a particularly embarrassing defeat by Aston Villa in the FA Cup. Nigel Pearson narrowly avoided the sack a few weeks ago and you wonder how much longer Leicester’s board are willing to keep patience with him. Unless they start winning soon, his time may be up.
Both sides have all to play for in this match.
Team News
Everton only have a few injury concerns ahead of this game. Aiden McGeady will not be available until next week at the earliest, while Steven Pienaar and Leon Osman will not be able to return for another week either. Tony Hibbert is still out for the foreseeable future.
Chris Wood could return to action for Leicester this weekend but will have to pass a late fitness test beforehand. Kasper Schmeichel is the only other injured Leicester player but there is no return date for him as yet.
Interesting Statistics
- Everton have only won one of their last nine Premier League games.
- The Toffees have not been able to win any of their last four league games at Goodison.
- The game ended in a 2-2 draw when the two sides faced each other earlier in the season.
- Leicester have lost their last four league matches.
- Leicester have kept the fewest amount of clean sheets in the league this season with just four.
Key Players
Everton – Phil Jagielka
Jagielka has been the standout player for Everton this season and has led by example in defence. He has made 24 league appearances and been a bedrock in Everton’s defence. He has won 60% of the duels he has been involved in, achieving a 56% success rate in tackling. He has also won 60% of the headed duels that he has fought for. Surprisingly, Jagielka has even been able to successfully take on four opponents from five attempts. He is involved in an average of 12 defensive actions per game, the vast majority of these being clearances. However, he has also made 39 interceptions and 23 blocks. He has been responsible for four defensive mistakes during the course of the season but only one of these has led to a goal. Leicester still possess a good attacking threat despite their problems and Jagielka will have to help combat that danger.
Leicester City – Wes Morgan
Wes Morgan has made a similar impact in Leicester’s defence this season although not exactly to the same extent. He has made 24 appearances for the Foxes in the league and won 58% of the duels he has been involved. Morgan has attempted 32 tackles and has won 19 of them, however he has also committed 26 fouls in the process. Like his Everton counterpart, he has won almost two thirds of the headed duels he has fought for and has an 89% success rate when taking on opponents. Like Jagielka, Morgan has also been involved in an average of 12 defensive actions per game but has made one less error during the course of the season. Unfortunately for him, his team mates are often unable to follow his example. Morgan will need to rally the Leicester defence when they come up against Lukaku and his fellow Everton attackers.
Prediction
Both sides really need a win and unfortunately for Leicester, I can only see their misery continuing. Everton have home advantage and the stronger team. I believe that they will win this game 2-1.
