Venue: Goodison Park
Date: 04/04/2015
Kick-off: 15:00 (BST)
Everton prepare to welcome high flying Southampton to Goodison Park this weekend and a good result on the day for the Toffees could mean that they can stop worrying about the prospect of relegation this season.
Everton managed to get over their disappointment in the Europa League by managing an impressive victory over Queens Park Rangers ahead of the international break and the win has meant that the Toffees have finally managed to gather some momentum ahead of a crucial period of the campaign.
While Roberto Martinez’s men have managed to create some breathing space between themselves and the teams in the relegation zone below them, there are still eight matches to go and the upcoming clash against Southampton is most certainly an important one for the Toffees.
Given the fact that the Saints are still hopeful of a Champions League finish, the match promises to be a real challenge for Everton and they will surely have to put in a good performance in order to be able to claim anything from the clash.
Everton Team News
Roberto Martinez has a host of injury problems to contend with ahead of the clash and it will be interesting to see what sort of team the Spaniard will put out on the day.
There are doubts regarding the fitness of Romelu Lukaku, Kevin Mirallas, Darron Gibson and Steven Pienaar following the international break while Bryan Oviedo and Tony Hibbert still remained sidelined due to injury.
As a positive though, Arouna Kone and Leighton Baines have been passed fit to feature while Gareth Barry is also available following his suspension.
The backline should pretty much pick itself with Tim Howard, Leighton Baines, John Stones, Phil Jagielka and Seamus Coleman all starting. In midfield, the duo of James McCarthy and Darron Gibson look set to continue but if Gibson misses out; Barry is a good contender to start.
There is a lot of competition in the wide positions but given their fine performances last time out, the combination of Aaron Lennon and Leon Osman should start. The attacking positions will probably be occupied by Arouna Kone and Romelu Lukaku but if Martinez decides to go with a five man midfield, Steven Naismith could well feature.
Probable Lineups
Everton (Probable XI): Howard; Baines, Jagielka, Stones, Coleman; Gibson, McCarthy, Osman, Lennon; Kone, Lukaku
Southampton (Probable XI): Davis; Clyne, Bertrand, Alderweireld, Fonte, Clyne; Schneiderlin, Wanyama, Tadic, Mane, Long; Pelle
Form
Everton: L W W L W
Southampton: L L W D W
Last Meeting
20/12/2014 Southampton 3 – 0 Everton
26/04/2014 Southampton 2 – 0 Everton
Prediction
Southampton have claimed comprehensive victories over Everton during the last few meetings and they should head into Saturday’s clash as favourites once again.
However, the match is a tricky one to call as Everton have shown signs of recovery in recent times and if the Toffees play well, they surely will be able to cause problems to the dangerous Southampton side.
Both teams stand a good chance of claiming a victory and the match should be an entertaining encounter. The Saints do perhaps possess the better side though and they should be able to just about claim a victory on the day.
Everton 1 – 2 Southampton
