It seems incredible to think that Everton’s match against Leicester City will be their penultimate home game of the calendar year.
With the World Cup on the horizon, the Toffees will be keen to end this part of the season in good form.
They were uninspiring but still defensively solid in their last match: a 0-0 draw in West London against Fulham.
But they will be up against a Leicester side experiencing somewhat of a revival after a poor start to the season.
The Foxes had won three of their last five before narrowly losing 1-0 to Man City last weekend.
The Goodison Factor
Probably the biggest source of confidence for the Blues going into this match is the fact they are playing at home.
Everton’s form at Goodison this season has been impressive with only Chelsea and Manchester United coming away from L4 with all three points so far.
Their last home match was a fantastic 3-0 win over Crystal Palace, where from the first minute the Toffees tormented the Eagles with a hard-fought, energetic and skilful performance.
If they are able to recapture that sort of form, it could well be a very long evening for Brendan Rodgers’ side.
One to watch – Demarai Gray
Demarai Gray will be aiming to prove a point against his former side on Saturday night.
The 26-year-old spent five years with the Foxes before joining Bayer Leverkusen in January 2021 after falling out of favour at the King Power Stadium.
After just six months with the German club, he joined Everton and had a decent first season with the club, continuining in a similar vein so far this campaign.
He recently spoke with The Athletic about his experience with mental health and so many will be rooting for him to get on the scoresheet tomorrow just that little bit more.
One to watch – James Maddison
It has been a difficult season so far for Leicester, but James Maddison has undoubtedly been their shining light.
The attacking midfielder has grabbed six goals and two assists in the Premier League this season.
The 25-year-old’s creativity and eye for goal will certainly be a challenge for Everton’s back-line.
Final thoughts
Leicester sit in the relegation zone after a dismal opening to the campaign but have had a decent run of form recently, particularly defensively as they have only conceded one goal in their last four matches.
With Everton’s tendency to struggle in front of goal as well as their own defensive prowess, it could well be the case that their clash with the Foxes is not the most entertaining affair.
Evertonians will just be hoping they can nick a goal and that will be enough for a precious three points.
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