Fulham vs Everton Preview
Watch Fulham vs Everton preview, as Everton hosts Fulham in a Premier league fixtures at Goodison park. With Fulham on the fighting of the relegation zone, a win could be a great one in this meetings.
In order to gain those three valuable points, Everton must improve on their last performance, when their four-game unbeaten streak came to an end at Old Trafford.
A 2-0 defeat to Manchester United extended an absolutely woeful away record which has seen them win just two of their last 32 away Premier League games.
The absence of Abdoulaye Doucoure was evident in the Everton midfield, as replacing him with Ellis Simms and moving Demarai Gray further back greatly reduced the intensity and energy in the middle of the park.
Erik ten Hag’s side were able to cut Everton open at will, drawing nine saves out of Jordan Pickford over the 90 minutes – the second-highest tally of any goalkeeper in a single PL game this season.
It has been a different story on home soil for the blue half of Merseyside under Dyche though, as they have taken 10 points from a possible 15 on offer since the ex-Burnley boss took charge.
Four of the five sides they have faced at Goodison are in the top half as well, which makes that record appear even more impressive, with Fulham also entering the weekend in the ninth.
There is increased pressure on this fixture for the hosts though, given how results went against them last weekend, with West Ham United, Bournemouth, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Crystal Palace all winning
Wins for so many of Everton’s direct rivals saw them fall to 17th, only outside the bottom three on goal difference ahead of Nottingham Forest.
Shooting a blank at Old Trafford also saw them return to the bottom of the scoring charts outright again, as their striking woes continue with a dismal 23 goals in 30 games.
However, despite being in trouble near the bottom, Everton’s form is nowhere near as concerning as Fulham’s.
The Cottagers have fallen off massively after giving themselves a real chance of qualifying for Europe, losing five straight games in all competitions.
Team News and Injury
Dominic Calvert-Lewin has started training on grass again and could be involved in the squad for this one after missing Everton’s last nine matches.
That could put both Simms and Gray in danger of dropping to the bench, as Dyche may want to return to a three-in-midfield formation.
Doucoure remains suspended, meaning one of James Garner or Tom Davies could come in to play alongside Amadou Onana and Idrissa Gueye in midfield.
Andros Townsend is still out, but Nathan Patterson made his first appearance for the Toffees off the bench last week after three months out.
Aleksandar Mitrovic will continue to serve his lengthy eight-match ban following his sending off against Man United, with Carlos Vinicius expected to deputise again up front.
Willian returned last weekend from his ban following the United debacle, and he was arguably Fulham’s best player despite defeat against West Ham.
Kenny Tete and Issa Diop could reclaim their places in Fulham’s back four after the pair dropped to the bench for Cedric Soares and Tosin Adarabioyo at Craven Cottage last Saturday.
Layvin Kurzawa and Neeskens Kebano remain on the absentee list for the visitors.
Fulham vs Everton head-to-head stats
Everton have a good historical record against Fulham and have won 31 out of the 66 matches played between the two teams, as opposed to Fulham’s 21 victories.
Everton have lost only two of their last 14 Premier League games against Fulham but did lose their previous such home game against the Cottagers in February 2021.
Prior to their away victory against Everton in 2021, Fulham were winless in 27 matches against the Toffees at Goodison Park in the Premier League and lost 22 of these matches.
Everton are winless in their last nine matches against newly-promoted sides in the Premier League – their longest such run in the competition since 1951.
Everton have picked up 10 points in their five matches at home under Sean Dyche in the Premier League – a better record than in the 10 such matches preceding this run.
Fulham vs Everton prediction
Fulham have been in impressive form this season but are in the midst of a slump at the moment. Andreas Pereira has been impressive for the Cottagers so far this season and will need to step up in the absence of star striker Aleksandar Mitrovic.
Everton have shown marked improvement under Sean Dyche and are capable of putting up a robust display. The Toffees are fighting for their survival at the moment and could hold their opponents to a draw this weekend.
