da wazamba： Everton will be looking to continue their winning ways as they visit Brighton & Hove Albion this Saturday. The Toffees registered just their third win of the Premier League campaign last week, as they beat West Ham United 2-0.
da betsul： It was also the first time they had won a league fixture since September 1, having lost four matches on the bounce in the top-flight. Now, in their trip to the south coast, Marco Silva must look to build on their positive performance against the Hammers if they are to stay away from the drop zone.
The Toffees are now up to 15th ahead of the match, and with the Seagulls in 16th, a defeat at the Amex Stadium would be crushing.
Everton kept their first clean sheet since August last week, so it is a great disappointment that Yerry Mina is a doubt. As a result, Mason Holgate is expected to come in for his first start in the league, whilst Lucas Digne and Michael Keane are fairly irreplaceable right now.
At right-back, Djibril Sidibe was handed his first Premier League start because of the suspension to Seamus Coleman. The Monaco loanee put in an 8/10 display against West Ham and could have secured a regular spot in the team as a result.
In midfield is where Silva’s problems really occur. The Portuguese admitted to having a “good headache” ahead of his selection, with Fabian Delph and Morgan Schneiderlin both returning to fitness.
However, Tom Davies and Andre Gomes controlled the game last week and have the makings of a potentially formidable partnership for the Blues. Silva shouldn’t change too much of his winning team, and the balance of Gomes’ technique and composure with Davies’ all-action presence should serve him well on the road.
On the forward line, Alex Iwobi stepped into the number 10 role and was excellent in doing so. The Nigerian scored a 9/10 and should keep Gylfi Sigurdsson on the bench despite his sublime goal.
Theo Walcott may have had his best performance in an Everton jersey against West Ham, providing an assist for Bernard and smashing the bar from a magnificent volley in the second half.
Bernard’s goal against the Hammers was his second of the season, while Richarlison came in as the sole striker last week and he should remain there, despite not scoring since the visit of Wolverhampton Wanderers.
The former Watford man seems to be more threatening than Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Cenk Tosun these days, registering an assist against West Ham, while Moise Kean is still adjusting and could produce something off the bench.