Everton will look to continue their unbeaten run when they host Brighton & Hove Albion in the Premier League. The Toffees advanced to the EFL Cup quarterfinals by defeating Burnley with three goals in a row. Roberto De Zerbi’s squad lost a 1-1 draw with Fulham the previous weekend despite holding a slim lead.
Preview (Everton vs. Brighton & Hove Albion)
James Tarkowski, an Everton defender who helped his team defeat Brentford in September. He has been scoring goals against his former teams this season. He broke the stalemate against Burnley on Wednesday and could not help but smile. The Clarets have changed a lot since Sean Dyche gave Vincenzo Kompany the reins. The former manager gave his former employers a football lesson at Goodison. Ashley Young and Madou Onana solidified the victory in the second half.
Everton’s Christmas schedule now includes a fascinating last-eight match against Fulham. Should Dyche’s team continue on this current trajectory, Goodison will be overflowing with seasonal cheer. They have triumphed in five of their previous seven games in all competitions. Everton became the first team in 2023 to stop West Ham United from scoring in the Premier League. It came three days before eliminating Burnley from the cup. Thanks to a single Dominic Calvert-Lewin goal, the Toffees moved up to 15th in the table.
For the first time since September 2021, the hosts may now win three straight games at home. Only Liverpool has been able to penetrate the Everton defense in the Toffees’ last four games. Dyche’s 10 men gave their Merseyside rivals a serious fight. Brighton & Hove Albion, who had lost all six of their Premier League encounters against the Cottagers. It was Ferguson who, once again, made the league sit up and take notice with a neat finish.
But as the weather became worse, the Seagulls’ finishing got worse as well. Fulham’s main midfield player, Joao Palhinha, scored a spectacular goal in the second half to recover a point for Marco Silva’s team and leave Brighton still looking for their formula for victory against the Cottagers. The Europa League contenders had a well-earned week off from competitive obligations after their EFL Cup journey came to an end against Chelsea in round three. De Zerbi is looking to turn around the Seagulls’ lackluster recent performance, which has seen them win just one of their last seven games in all competitions.
Team News
As it has been for the last several weeks, Dele Alli (groin), Andre Gomes (calf), and Seamus Coleman (knee) are Everton’s three long-term absentees. The first two are unlikely to be back before the upcoming international break. Although Coleman is now fully trained with the team, Dyche is naturally hesitant to throw him back into first-team action. Instead, the former Burnley manager should stick with the bulk of the players who were traded by his previous team in the middle of the week. Nevertheless, Abdoulaye Doucoure should be summoned back in place of Arnaut Danjuma in the final third, and Nathan Patterson is on standby in case Ashley Young’s 38-year-old legs need a respite.
Brighton’s injury report should also stay mostly the same. Danny Welbeck (unspecified) and Solly March (knee) are out due to injuries they incurred against Ajax in the Europa League, while Jake Moder and Julio Enciso continue to recuperate from their knee issues. In fact, Ansu Fati, Joel Veltman, and Billy Gilmour are among the past week’s replacements who are vying for a spot in the starting lineup, but Ferguson should stay up top after being the first teenager to score ten goals in the Premier League.
Everton 1-1 Brighton & Hove Albion
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