The late stage of the Premier League is crucial for teams attempting to break the top four of the table. Southampton fit the bill as they attempt to clinch a spot among Europe’s elite soccer clubs. But pesky Everton await them at Goodison Park, a place of horror for the Saints.
Read on for everything you need to know heading into this Premier League fixture. Check out more of the league’s top teams with our complete previews for Arsenal vs. Liverpool and Manchester United vs. Aston Villa.
[sc:Soccer ]Southampton vs. Everton Preview
Where: Goodison Park, Liverpool, England
When: Saturday, April 4, 10:00 AM ET
Line: Southampton at Everton – view all EPL lines
What’s at Stake
[sc:Soccer240banner ]Southampton are just six points away from qualifying for the Champions League. They could catch up by stringing together a couple of wins against less-than-stellar opposition in their final eight matches. It also helps that current holders of the final Champions League spot, Manchester United, still have to face the top three teams on the table.
Betting on Southampton
The Saints are marching into the top five. They are undefeated in four of their last six, including a draw against league leaders Chelsea. Southampton should be pretty confident heading into this match after dominating Burnley 2-0 on March 21.
Unlike most of the league leaders, Southampton don’t boast of a strong offense. They do, however, make scoring against them very difficult. Goalkeeper Fraser Foster has shown excellent form as of late. He’s allowed six goals over the Saints’ last nine league matches and has three clean sheets. Southampton are undefeated in six of those nine games. Southampton have allowed the least number of goals (21) in the Premier League.
Southampton’s offense needs some work though. Leading goal-scorer (eight) Graziano Pelle has yet to score in his last 13 league appearances. He has a good chance to end that drought against Everton. His last league goal came in a home match against Everton, a 3-0 victory.
But if Pelle still fails to net a goal, then Southampton need the likes of Sadio Mané, Dusan Tadic and Shane Long to step up. Mané has netted twice over his last seven league matches, while Long scored the winner against Burnley. Tadic isn’t much of a scorer, he only has four goals this season, but he’s quite a facilitator. He leads the team with seven assists this season.
Southampton have won their last two matches against Everton, with an aggregate score of 5-0.
Betting on Everton
Wins are difficult to come by for struggling Everton. They’ve won just three times in their last 14 league matches. Two of those three wins came against the bottom two teams of the Premier League in Queens Park Rangers and Leicester.
Despite their shortcomings, Everton may rest assured that they’ve come out on top in five of their last six matches against Southampton at Goodison Park. Their only setback was a scoreless draw in 2003.
Star striker Romelu Lukaku starred in Everton’s last home match against Southampton, a 2-1 win in December 2013. He netted a goal on two shots on target. Everton may be rest assured that their leading scorer (eight goals this season) is in excellent form heading into this fixture. Lukaku has three goals and two assists over Everton’s last four matches across all competitions.
Lukaku should also have plenty of help from the Everton midfield trio of Aaron Lennon (one goal), Leon Osman (one assist) and James McCarthy (one goal). Controlling possession in midfield is crucial to keep Southampton away from Everton’s sketchy defense. Goalkeeper Tim Howard has allowed seven goals in Everton’s last five matches.
Writer’s Prediction
Southampton take the full three points with a tight 1-0 win. Create a betting account now and score goals of your own betting on the world’s best leagues.
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