Everton welcome Watford to Goodison Park for Monday Night Football as Marco Silva faces his former Hornets for the first time since his dismissal in January.
Both sides come into this game in contrasting form with the Toffees now flying whilst Watford have fallen off the pace after winning their first four league games of the season.
Team news
Embed from Getty ImagesEverton could be handed a boost by the return of midfielder, Morgan Schneiderlin.
Schneiderlin has been out in recent weeks with a leg injury but is set for the bench.
Fellow midfielder, James McCarthy is still not ready to return to the first team as he continues to build up his match fitness.
Michael Keane, Bernardo and Theo Walcott are all expected to start after being rested in midweek against Everton.
Watford remain without Etienne Capoue as he continues to serve a three match ban.
Will Hughes (knock) is also set to be another absentee alongside Daryl Janmaat and Tom Cleverley (Achilles) who is nearly ready for a first team return.
Adalberto Penaranda could possibly feature after recovering from a foot injury.
Form
Everton have suffered just two defeats in their last nine with both defeats away at local members of the ‘Big Six’, and have suffered just one home league loss all season despite scoring in every game at Goodison Park.
In their last five home games, eight of Everton’s ten goals have all come in second half but have conceded once in first half of last two home outings against Brighton and Newcastle respectively.
After making a bright start this season, Watford have taken just eight points out of a possible 33 from last 11 league games.
On their travels, the Hornets have scored only three goals in two of their last five away games but conceded six times.
Stat Attack
- Everton are unbeaten in three of their last five meetings with Watford (W2, D1, L2).
- Watford are yet to win at Goodison Park in 13 attempts across all competitions (D1, L12).
- Everton have lost only four of their 25 meetings with Watford with all four losses coming away at Vicarage Road.
- Everton have kept just one clean sheet in last five home clashes with Watford, conceding twice on three of the four occasions when both teams have scored during this period.
- Ben Foster has already made four punches in 15 matches this season for Watford, one less than he managed at West Bromwich Albion throughout whole of last season.
- Gylfi Sigurdsson already has six league goals from 15 starts this season for Everton, having only scored six goals in 33 appearances across all competitions last season with four of those goals coming in Premier League.
- Everton have produced the most crosses of any Premier League team so far this season, with 356 crosses compared to second placed Huddersfield who have made 352 crosses.
Prediction
This should be a cracking clash given that only one of last five meetings here hasn’t seen both teams score at least twice.
Watford’s away form however is probably going to cost them here.
Prediction: Everton 3-2 Watford
Jake predicts: Everton 2-2 Watford
Result: Everton 2-2 Watford