Everton host Luton Town at Goodison Park in a tough encounter at the foot of the Premier League table.
Victory would see Everton move as high as 12th in the table depending upon results elsewhere, whilst Luton can climb out of the relegation zone with a win if Wolves or Bournemouth lose elsewhere.
Team News
Vitaliy Mykolenko is a doubt for Everton after he was substituted in their midweek Carabao Cup win at Aston Villa with a knock.
Andre Gomes (calf), Dele Alli (hip) and Seamus Coleman (knee) remain absent.
Luton will be without midfielder, Albert Sambi-Lokonga due to a hamstring injury which will sideline him for at least two months.
Ross Barkley (hamstring) and Tom Lockyer (knock) face late fitness tests but Gabriel Osho (knee), Jordan Clark and Dan Potts (both knock) remain absent.
When is Kick-Off?
Everton host Luton in a 3pm BST kick-off at Goodison Park on Saturday 30 September, untelevised live in the UK.
Stat Attack
- This is Everton’s first Premier League meeting against Luton, although they’re unbeaten in their last six league meetings in the Old First Division (W3, D3).
- Luton have won just one of their last five league visits to Everton (W1, D1, L3).
- Both teams have scored in four of their last six league meetings albeit in the Old First Division, except for 1-0 wins for Everton in May and November 1991.
- Everton have lost all three of their home games this season by a 1-0 result (L3).
- No Luton player has made more headed clearances in their five games so far this season than Mads Andersen (8).
Prediction
Now that they have two consecutive wins under their belt, Everton finally seem to be clicking which is a marked improvement upon their poor start to the season because they looked much sharper and clinical against Brentford and Villa than at any other point of the campaign.
Luton meanwhile were deservedly beaten at Exeter in midweek because for all of their dominance, they lacked that spark to break down the Grecians’ defence which is a worry because it was a game that they should of won to create some momentum for this trip to Goodison Park.
Now unless they can adopt some of the defensive lessons that they learned from Exeter whilst applying their usual counter-attack style, I don’t see Luton getting anything here such is their vulnerability at the back and lack of end product quality in what should be a routine home win for the Toffees.
Prediction: Everton 2-0 Luton
Result: Everton 1-2 Luton