Premier League: Everton vs. Fulham Preview, Odds, Predictions, Picks

Everton and Fulham meet in the opening round of the English Premier League at Goodison Park. The Toffees had a terrible campaign last season, with them not being able to secure the Premiership status until the finish. On the other side, the Cottagers were solid, even had a chance to reach European competitions, but eventually missed it. They are now unsettled due to the status of their top star, Aleksandar Mitrovic, and his saga about the potential transfer to Saudi Arabia. 

Preview

Everton (+130) had nothing but success during the summer preparation period, with four wins and one tie in five tests. One after another, Stade Nyonnais, Wigan, Stoke, and Sporting fell in front of the Toffees, while Bolton managed to get out with a goalless draw. 

Sean Dyche successfully installed his ultra-defensive tactics and expect Everton to play the most boring football in the league, with plenty of ultra-defensive strategies and nothing but physicality in the midfield. 

Their previous four meetings saw one or no goals, which is a normal thing with Dyche’s teams. Just remember how Burnley played under his command. Now, this might be bad for the fans, but for the team, it isn’t because as long as Everton posts solid results, everything is forgiven regarding the beauty of the game. 

Fulham (+220) had a very good past campaign, but the team and the fans need to forget that. Otherwise, we might see the Cottagers again in the Championship. Some of the players left Craven Cottage, but the backbone is still present. 

However, Aleksandar Mitrovic received a massive offer from Saudi Arabia, and the Serb wants to leave the club. There were some speculations that he got permission to go, yet that came out to be false. Both the fans and the players are now frustrated, and there are certain tensions between the two sides, and this situation needs to be concluded as soon as possible. 

Fulham was also in the United States over the summer, playing a couple of events. They beat Brentford, 3-2, then lost to Villa and Chelsea, 0-2 both, and eventually, we saw them defeating Hoffenheim, 2-1. 

Latest News 

Dele Alli is injured, Seamus Coleman too, the same as Dwight McNeil and AD Groeneveld. Tarkowski is questionable for the moment, and he will be a game-time decision. 

Fulham can’t count on Tom Cairney and Joao Palinha. We’ll see whether Mitrovic starts or Raul Jimenez. That’s the biggest enigma in Fulham, who will suffer a lot if the Serb leaves the team.

Head to Head

Fulham and Everton played without goals at Craven Cottage in the first meeting last year, but the second saw four hits, with the guests beating Everton 1-3. It is interesting that a year before that, we saw both guests taking three points on the road. 

Prediction

Duyche will not attack but instead protect his own goal. If you are an Everton fan, prepare for a season of boring and ultra-defensive football. That’s why we pick under 2.5 goals in this event, with the odds for that choice set at -105. This pick has a big value, and don’t hesitate to use it. 

Pick: Under 2.5 goals -105