Premier League preview and odds: Everton vs Tottenham Hotspur

Premier League

Football
Published: 10/08/2016

Premier League preview and odds: Everton vs Tottenham Hotspur

August 13 , 2016 15:00pm - Goodison Park

Premier League

Everton will get their 2016-2017 Premier League campaign underway on Saturday afternoon when they welcome last year`s title challengers Tottenham Hotspur to Goodison Park in what will be Ronald Koeman`s first competitive game in charge on Merseyside.

More outs than ins for Everton

With a new billionaire shareholder on board and reinforcements needed on the pitch, Everton fans were perhaps looking forward to some big name signings this summer. However, it hasn`t quite panned out that way, with more players leaving the club than arriving and the most significant bit of business being the departure of defender John Stones, who made the £47.5m switch to Manchester City.

It remains to be seen whether all that money will be reinvested in the squad but there has been talk that both Swansea`s Ashley Williams and Crystal Palace`s Yannick Bolasie could be wearing the blue of Everton by the end of the week.

Perhaps the biggest challenge for new boss Ronald Koemen will be hanging on to striker Romelu Lukaku. If sold, the player could attract a price in the region of £65m and the new owner may be tempted to cash in, with former club Chelsea purportedly interested.

Even with Lukaku and Stones in the squad, the Toffees could only manage an 11th place finish last season, so the Dutch boss could have his work cut out improving on last season`s league position while also losing his most valuable assets.

Everton failed to win any of their last four pre-season games and wrapped up their schedule with a 1-0 defeat at home to La Liga side Espanyol.

Meanwhile, opponents Tottenham Hotspur have made just a few tweaks to the squad that challenged for the title up until the final few games of last seaason. Golden boot winner Harry Kane will once again lead the line, while Vincent Janssen has been brought in from AZ Alkmaar to strengthen their attacking options. Fellow newcomer Victor Wanyama will help to sure up the midfield and provide support to regulars such as Eric Dier, Dele Alli, and Nacer Chadli.

With one of the most balanced squads in the league at his disposal, it is perhaps no surprise that Spurs` boss Mauricio Pochettino has made minimal changes ahead of the new campaign.

Team news

Everton may have to make do without Romelu Lukaku, Muhamed Besic, Matthew Pennington and Callum Connolly, who have all been reported as injured.

Meanwhile, Clinton N`Jie and Jan Vertonghen could both miss out for the visitors.

Recent form (League)

Everton: LDDLW

Tottenham Hotspur: WLLLL

Betting odds and tips

While Everton are adjusting to life under a new coach with the hope of achieving a top-half finish, Mauricio Pochettino will once again be pushing for a title challenge. Spurs can be expected to get off to a winning start.

You can back spur to win at 27/20 with Bet 365/strong>

By Neil Morris

Go To bet365
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Any odds displayed within this article were correct at the time of publishing (10/08/2016) but are subject to change.

10/08/2016     © Frixo 2024

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