Everton welcome fellow strugglers Bournemouth to Goodison Park on Saturday as both sides look to climb the Premier League table.
Without a win to their name this season, 19th-placed Bournemouth find themselves one point behind 16th-placed Everton after seven matches.
Defeated at Vitality Stadium. pic.twitter.com/IzE1GZbxF5— AFC Bournemouth 🍒 (@afcbournemouth) September 30, 2023
Defeated at Vitality Stadium. pic.twitter.com/IzE1GZbxF5
Can the Cherries kick-start their campaign on Merseyside? Or will the Toffees extend their lead over Andoni Iraola’s side?
Everton suffered a disappointing 2-1 home defeat against Luton Town last time out, despite racking up 68% possession and 23 shots at Goodison Park.
Following a 3-1 victory over Brentford and an EFL Cup win against Aston Villa, Sean Dyche’s men appeared to have turned the corner.
However, last weekend’s loss to Luton underlines Everton’s problems, with four successive defeats coming at Goodison Park and a solitary victory in nine home games.
Having managed to win just one of their seven league outings this term – suffering five defeats in the process – the Toffees look set for another difficult campaign.
That said, things are even worse for Bournemouth, as they have failed to win any of their seven league matches this season, recording three draws and four losses.
Draws with Brentford and Chelsea at the beginning of September pointed towards an upturn in form, but they have since suffered two defeats.
Following a 3-1 loss against Brighton & Hove Albion, the Cherries were crushed 4-0 by Arsenal at the Vitaly Stadium last weekend.
As a result, no team has scored fewer Premier League goals than Bournemouth this season, while only two sides have conceded more goals.
Head-to-head: Bournemouth have won four of their last five matches against Everton across all competitions, scoring over 2.5 goals in each of those victories.
The Toffees have managed to win just two of their previous eight meetings with the Cherries, suffering five defeats in the process.
Team news: Everton will be without the injured trio of Seamus Coleman, Andre Gomes and Dele Alli for the foreseeable future.
Bournemouth’s injury list contains Emiliano Marcondes, Alex Soctt, Chris Mepham, Lloyd Kelly, Ryan Fredericks and Tyler Adams.
Although Everton have struggled at Goodison Park of late, Saturday’s clash provides them with the ideal opportunity to transform their home form.
Forebet predicts that Everton will heap more misery on winless Bournemouth this weekend, with the Toffees expected to score over 2.5 goals en route to victory.