Sports Mole previews Monday’s Premier League clash between Everton and Wolverhampton Wanderers, including predictions, team news and possible line-ups.
Julen Lopetegui’s first taste of Premier League football will come at Goodison Park on Monday afternoon when the Spaniard takes his Wolverhampton Wanderers to Everton.
Wolves beat Gillingham 2-0 in the EFL Cup last week in what turned out to be Lopetegui’s first game in charge, but Everton have not been in competitive action since a 3-0 defeat in Bournemouth in the league on November 12.
Match preview
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Everton suffered three successive defeats before the campaign was halted for the World Cup, losing to Leicester City and Bournemouth in the Premier League, as well as a 4-1 defeat against the latter in the EFL Cup
The Toffees traveled to Bournemouth twice in the space of four days last month and were beaten 4-1 and then 3-0, following a 2-0 home defeat to Leicester in the top flight of England
Frank Lampard’s side are currently 17th in the Premier League table, with just 14 points from their first 15 games of the campaign, leaving them just one point above the relegation zone.
Everton have had some positive moments this season but their lack of goals has been a real concern, only managing to find the back of the net 11 times in the Premier League this season.
Wolves are actually the lowest scorers in the league this season with eight, meanwhile, suggesting Monday’s affair will not be a high-scoring classic.
Everton’s next game after this is away to champions Manchester City, adding to the importance of the competition with fellow strugglers Wolves.
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The visitors are now under the management of Lopetegui, who took charge of their first game last week, which turned out to be a 2-0 success against Gillingham in the last 16 of the EFL Cup.
Raul Jiménez and Rayan Ait Nouri scored the goals in the Cup game, and Wolves progressed to the quarter-finals of the competition, where they will meet Nottingham Forest on 9 January.
Wolves have won just once in the Premier League since the start of September, however, losing four of their last five in the league during a difficult run.
The former Championship winners picked up a point against Brentford at the end of October, but then lost at home to Brighton & Hove Albion and Arsenal before the campaign was halted for the World Cup.
The disappointing run of form has left Wolves bottom of the table with 10 points, with a record of just two wins, four draws and nine defeats in their 15 league games this season.
Everton Premier League form:
Everton form (all competitions):
Wolverhampton Wanderers Premier League form:
Wolverhampton Wanderers form (all competitions):
Team news
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Everton manager Lampard has said he will make a late call-up on Dominic Calvert-Lewin for this game, with the striker looking to return from a knee problem.
Calvert-Lewin is believed to be winning his battle to make the team but is unlikely to start, while Andros Townsend and James Garner remain unavailable for selection.
Everton will also be without the services of Conor Coady, who is ineligible against his parent club, which could open up a place in the middle of defense for Yerry Mina.
As for Wolves, Chiquinho, Pedro Neto and Sasa Kalajdzic remain permanently sidelined through injury, while Jonny Castro and Boubacar Traore will face late trials.
Adama Traore, Matheus Nunes and Jimenez are likely to make the starting line-up for this game, while Hwang Hee-chan is also pushing for inclusion.
Lopetegui will want to have a good look at his squad over the next few games in order to make a proper assessment, with Daniel Podence and Goncalo Guedes also among the starters on Monday.
Everton possible starting line-up: Pickford; Patterson, Mina, Tarkowski, Mykolenko; Iwobi, Gueye, Onana; McNeil, Maupay, Gray
Wolverhampton Wanderers possible starting lineup: Sa; Semedo, Collins, Kilman, Bueno; Neves, Nunes; Traore, Podence, Guedes; Jimenez
We say: Everton 1-1 Wolverhampton Wanderers
There isn’t much of a difference in terms of quality between these two sides, and this is a huge game, even at this stage of the campaign. Both managers will be wary of losing, which could create a tense affair, and we struggle to separate them at Goodison Park.
For data analysis of the most likely results, results and more of this match, click here.
Superior Council
Our expert reporting partners at Sporita.com predict over 1.5 goals in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more tried and tested football tips. Over 1.5:data ID:502692:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:collect15108:
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