Everton travel to West Bromwich Albion after a two-week international break to resume their Premier League campaign that suffered a 3-6 defeat at home to title favourites Chelsea. While the home side suffered similar embarrassment against high-flying Swans away from home and are still without a win so far, which the Baggies will be determined to change, come the weekend. Alan Irvine, who has worked for five-and-half years with David Moyes in the past whilst the Scot was at Everton is determined to get his first win of the campaign against his former and formidable side that is Everton, which could go a long way in strengthening his position amongst a fan-base as skeptical as that of Albion.
Everton come off a tough couple of fixtures that saw them face London heavyweights Arsenal and Chelsea and managed to get 1 point out of a possible 6. Their last game at home was nothing short of drama and well, goals, and plenty of them as the game ended 6-3 in favour of Chelsea. Though the team looked threatening almost every time whilst going forward and managed to score 3 goals against arguably the best defensive unit in the league, manager Martinez should be worried about the more avoidable defensive errors that cost his side a result and will be keen to reduce them going into Saturday’s encounter, to notch his first win on the board for the new season.
Team News
For West Bromwich Albion, key midfielder Mulumbu (hamstring) will be assessed prior to the game and his selection will be based on match fitness. Goalkeeper Ben Foster who suffered a thumb injury continues to “make progress” & Pocognoli (thigh) has resumed training but the Everton game might come too soon for him. Albion forward Saidy Berahino bagged a brace during the international weekend as the English U21 team cruised to a 3-0 victory against Moldova, and will be expected to carry the momentum into this game. Defender Joleon Lescott is set to make his debut for the Baggies against Everton, his former side. Manager Alan Irvine will have no major concerns regarding squad selection as most of his first team regulars, barring the aforementioned players, are fit to play against the Blues.
Record signing Romelu Lukaku will also need assessment prior to the game. The Belgian missed his country’s friendly against Australia but Martinez believes he will be fit to play after struggling with the injury against Arsenal and Chelsea. New signing Samuel Eto’o is a doubt, however, after picking up minor groin strain against his former club, Chelsea, and will undergo a late fitness test. So too will Leon Osman, who picked up a knock in the behind-closed-doors friendly with Stoke City last week. The manager has also indicated that Arouna Kone is “very close” to being ready to make his comeback after a year on the sidelines with a severe knee injury. While Bryan Oviedo who, like Kone, also played in the Stoke friendly, is edging closer to full fitness and Ross Barkley is making good progress with his own knee injury and is about halfway through his rehabilitation.
Interesting Facts
- West Bromwich Albion and Everton have had a similar pattern of results in the last 3 games with two draws followed by a rather heavy defeat.
- Everton has always had it tough at the Hawthorns. In the last 3 fixtures, the home side has had two wins and a draw. Everton’s last win at the Hawthorns came two years back.
Key Men
Chris Brunt – West Bromwich Albion
Chris Brunt has been the leader and the player that usually drives the team forward in the most difficult of situations, of course when he is fit. He missed a good chunk of games last season due to injuries and evidently the Baggies suffered without Brunt and his unpredictably lethal set-pieces from the final third that often drags them through the finish. He played a total of 28 games in the league last season, creating 40 chances. He managed to score 3 goals during the course of the season while accumulating more than twice the amount of goals in the shape of yellow cards, which he will need to cut down. A 43% success rate in aerial duels goes on to show he could do a job in the air as well. The 29-year old will be counted on to utilise his experience in the top flight to win the midfield battle and to deliver the goods come Saturday. (Stats from Squawka.com)
Seamus Coleman – Everton
Coleman had a spectacular 2013/14, as the full-back chipped in with several crucial goals and assists. He’s a player who has quite evolved into one of the best in business today. Coleman played a total of 36 league games last season, keeping himself fit for most part of the campaign – scoring 6 goals, which is a brilliant return for a defender. He’s already got himself on the score-sheet once this season and has just started where he left off last season. A total of 45 chances created and a shot accuracy 57% which is phenomenal for a full-back, he’s managed to showcase his passing abilities as well. With an 88% pass accuracy, better than your average midfielder, he’s also managed to win 57% of his aerial duels – proving his dynamism and the value he adds to the Blues’ starting 11. If he is on his game against West Brom, I could only see the result going one way.
Betting Preview
Everton have only kept one clean sheet in their last eight trips to the Hawthorns.
Why not create a bet with Tailorbet for West Brom to score at least one goal here http://eplindex.wpengine.com/tailorbet
Prediction
As much as we’d like to see an entertaining end-to-end stuff from both sides, my gut feeling says this game could end up dull and bereft of goals, like several other games that kick off immediately after the international break. So, I stick my neck out and go for an odd 0-0 draw here.
