Tottenham host Everton on matchday two of the Premier League
Two of the Premier League’s winless sides from matchday one, Tottenham Hotspur and Everton, face off at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London on Saturday, August 24 at 15:00 UK time.
The Lilywhites come into the fixture after a 1-1 draw against Leicester City at the King Power Stadium while the Toffees were comfortably beaten 3-0 at Goodison Park by Brighton & Hove Albion.
Both sides will be looking to get off the mark for the season with three points, though it will be for contrasting reasons.
Spurs will hope to get onto a good run of form early in the season to help their cause of finishing in a Champions League spot but for Everton, another defeat would mean that they are pulled into the relegation battle from just their second game of the season.
Team News
Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham have a fully fit team to call upon barring backup goalkeeper Fraser Forster, who continues his recovery from a broken foot and possibly Rodrigo Bentancur after his head injury at Leicester. There are no suspensions in Ange Postecoglou’s camp.
Guglielmo Vicario will be keen on keeping a clean sheet as he looks to overcome criticism which was directed at him in the aftermath of the draw versus Leicester City. The Italian was berated for shouting at Lucas Bergvall but it is an issue that Postecoglou has already addressed and put behind him.
Pedro Porro was on target against the Foxes and will be a crucial player for Spurs once more. His defensive gameplay will undoubtedly be handy, but his ability to attack from the right side could prove key in helping Tottenham unlock Everton’s low block.
In a three-man midfield, Lucas Bergvall is certain to get some more minutes though a start could also be on the cards for the Swede as a central midfielder, a role which he has played previously in his career.
Bentancur’s absence could also result in a switch in formations from a 4-2-3-1 to a 4-3-3 to due the absence of a specialist defensive figure in midfield. Bergvall could
play in the deeper lying position due to his great passing ability.
The offensive department will be unchanged and all eyes will be on Dominic Solanke to score on his home debut for the Lilywhites.
PREDICTED LINE-UP (4-3-3): Vicario; Porro, Romero, van de Ven, Udogie; Sarr, Bergvall, Maddison; Son, Solanke, Johnson
Everton
Everton have a number of absentees in the squad through injury. James Garner, Jarrad Branthwaite, Nathan Patterson, Seamus Coleman and Youssef Chermiti might all miss out.
Ashley Young received a red card last time out against Brighton and is the only suspended player from both sides.
While Everton were thoroughly outplayed, there would not be wholesale changes expected in their team with Sean Dyche likely to stick in favour of a line-up of tried and tested men.
PREDICTED LINE-UP (4-2-3-1): Pickford; Holgate, Tarkowski, Keane, Mykolenko; Iroegbunam, Gueye; Harrison, Doucoure, McNeil; Calvert-Lewin
Key stats
- Everton have not beaten Tottenham in the Premier League in nearly four years. Their last win over Saturday’s opponent came in September 2020 – a 1-0 success.
- Tottenham have scored at least once in their last eight official matches.
- There is an average of 3.2 goals in every Tottenham vs. Everton clash.
Match deciding duel
Son vs Holgate
Mason Holgate could replace Ashley Young at right-back with Son Heung-min likely to come up against him. The Spurs captain will have a tough task at hand, but if Holgate can be kept on his toes with Tarkowski being dragged out of position to help him out, there would be greater room to attack in the central areas, which would ultimately make the difference.
Prediction
Tottenham 3-0 Everton
Tottenham created a good number of chances against Leicester. Their luck in front of goal will not be as bad as it was in their last match, while Everton’s defence could be a bit too weak to deal with the constant threats in the final third. Therefore, the hosts should win comfortably.
