Everton and Wolverhampton will be looking to recover from big defeats last weekend at Goodison Park on Saturday. The Toffees were outscored 4-1 by Aston Villa last weekend. Gary O’Neil’s team suffered a 4-1 home defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion.
Preview (Everton vs. Wolverhampton)
Everton’s early-season signs of promise were for naught as the visitors’ lack of offensive oomph against Fulham. Aston Villa’s successful exploitation of the Toffees’ defensive flaws cost them the match. A 4-0 rout of Sean Dyche’s team, thanks to goals from John McGinn, Douglas Luiz, Leon Bailey, and Jhon Duran. It allowed Unai Emery’s team to successfully rebound from a crushing defeat on opening day on Newcastle United’s turf.
Everton’s 20th-place finish in the league could be a sign of doom if the Toffees fail to address their issues at both ends of the field in the time left in the transfer window, though they could soon address some of their attacking issues with the signing of Southampton’s Che Adams. Everton are still without a point and a goal after two games of the new season. The Scotland international will join a Toffees squad in desperate need of some attacking spark. The team has scored just three goals in its previous six Premier League games. They haven’t scored two goals or more at home since October.
The wolves’ away performance also makes for terrifying reading for traveling supporters. The visitors have lost in each of their last five away games. They have only defeated a relegated Southampton team on adversary ground in 2023. Wolves are currently on a three-game losing streak and a five-game winless streak. Nevertheless, their final away victory of 2022 came at Goodison Park in a memorable 2-1 Boxing Day victory. Five months later, however, it was Everton who benefited from a goal in stoppage time. Yerry Mina rescued a crucial point in a 1-1 draw with 99 minutes remaining.
Team News
As one of two Everton casualties in the West Midlands, Calvert-Lewin joins Dele Alli (groin), Seamus Coleman (knee), Jack Harrison (hip), and Dwight McNeil (ankle) in the hospital. Given Calvert-Lewin and Iwobi’s probable absences, Neal Maupay and Arnaut Danjuma stand to gain, while Jarrad Branthwaite and Vitaliy Mykolenko could rejuvenate the backline following last weekend’s devastating defeat. Given that the Wolves medical staff is not currently aware of any injuries, Pablo Sarabia is the most likely replacement for Nunes, who should be O’Neil’s solitary absence for Saturday’s encounter.
Sasa Kalajdzic is continuing to improve his fitness from the bench, but Hwang has a strong case to start over the Portuguese after replacing Fabio Silva at the 55-minute mark against Brighton, six minutes before the Seagulls’ perfect record was ruined. Both coaches may have felt betrayed by their teams’ defeats in their first meetings, but they also both accepted getting trounced by the superior team last weekend, setting the stage for what may be a dull match at Goodison Park. A goalless tie would not surprise us in the least given the offensive deficiencies of both sides, but neither defense is strong enough to contain their opponents for the full 90 minutes.
Everton 1 – 1 Wolves
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