Tottenham Hotspur will be travelling to the Goodison Park this weekend to face Everton in their season opener. The Londoners finished on a high note last season (as compared to their previous finishes); hence the expectations have reached the skies this time around. With Everton looking stronger than before due to the arrival of Ronald Koeman, this is going to be a tasty encounter between the sides.
The Lilly-Whites will be looking to start the season with a fine tempo and the fans will be expecting a second successive title challenge. Looking at the recent results, including the pre-season games, the North Londoners concluded their tour in style as they defeated Italian giants Inter Milan with a comfortable scoreline of six goals to one. On the other hand, Everton concluded their pre-season friendlies with a one-nil defeat to Spanish side Espanyol.
Everton’s new boss Ronald Koeman really stabilized the south coast club, Southampton, last season and this is what Everton need right at this very moment. The Merseysiders had a torrid season and a finish at least in the top half of the table will be a target for the Blues. They recently sold John Stones to Manchester City but instantly bought Swansea skipper Ashley Williams to fill the void and the Wales international is expected to start the game for the Toffees.
Everton vs Tottenham Team News:
Toffees have released some senior players from the squad, namely, Steven Pienaar, Leon Osman and Tony Hibbert, but have really reacted well on the spot as the incoming names are quite impressive in the form of; Maarten Stekelenburg, Idrissa Gueye and Ashley Williams and majority of them are likely to feature in the game.
Coming on to the injury issues, their star man Romelu Lukaku is carrying a minor foot injury.
“Romelu Lukaku is doubtful for the weekend because of the cut he got against Espanyol,” said Koeman when asked about his team news for the season opener. “We also have [right-back]Seamus Coleman doubtful with an ankle injury.”
On the other hand, the Lilly-Whites have so far signed two players, namely, Ronald Koeman’s former employee Victor Wanyama and the Dutch international, Vincent Janssen, but only Wanyama is looking likely to start, while Janssen could make a cameo appearance coming in as a substitute.
Just like Everton, the Lilly-Whites do not really have major injury concerns as their defender Jan Vertonghen has returned to training, but it might be too early to deploy him on the field, hence, Kevin Wimmer is likely to start. Eriksen, Alli and Lamela are understood to be deployed on their respective spots, while their star striker, Harry Kane, will be leading the lines for the side.
Predicted Lineup:
Everton-
Stekelenburg
Coleman; Funes-Mori; Williams; Baines
Gueye; Barry
Lennon; Barkley; Mirallas
Lukaku
Tottenham-
Lloris
Walker; Alderweireld; Wimmer; Rose
Dier; Wanyama
Lamela; Alli; Eriksen
Kane
Everton vs Tottenham Prediction:
Everton will be stepping onto the Goodison Park with a high note, having won their last two home games, while on the other hand, the Lilly-Whites will be carrying a torrid away record, which includes a 5-1 humiliating defeat to Newcastle United on the final day of the last season.
It is difficult to predict the score, but we believe that it would be a scoring draw.
