Everton welcome Swansea to Goodison on Saturday in a pivotal Premier League fixture, the importance of which cannot be overstated.
The international break is finally over and Toffees players will be sitting on pins and needles at the prospect of redemption after their disappointment last time out against Chelsea.
Recent form
Everton, after winning four of five to start the season, have only won one – a 2-0 win over West Ham – of their last six.
What better time to get back on the horse and start a new winning streak than against Swansea, a team mired in crisis and rooted to the bottom of the table. Swansea have hit rock bottom, losing 7 of their last eight.
And Everton are unbeaten at home, with three wins and two draws at Goodison so far.
To make matters worse for manager Bob Bradley, Swansea haven’t won in 10 matches, since opening day about three months ago. And they still haven’t won a game with their American manager in charge. The Swans, five points adrift of safety, are level on five points with Sunderland.
Swansea lay claim to the dubious title of league’s second worst defense. A fact that Everton, and particularly Romelu Lukaku, will be well aware of.
Lukaku last scored in the win over West Ham October 30. He scored two against Estonia midweek and must know that Swansea’s defense is ripe for the picking.
Team news
There’s more good news than bad for Saturday’s game. To the bad news first.
Gareth Barry is out after receiving his fifth yellow card against Chelsea.
Idrissa Gana Gueye, who is available after serving his own one-match ban, will surely replace Barry in the holding role. While Everton would love to have Barry in the lineup, Gueye’ return nicely offsets losing the English midfielder.
Onto the news all Everton supporters are waiting for. Both Leighton Baines and James McCarthy are back in contention after their long injury layoffs. Baines last played against Middlesbrough about two months ago, while McCarthy hasn’t played for the Toffees since August.
Ronald Koeman, who spoke to http://www.evertonfc.com/ recently, is pleased with the progress both players have made in training.
“They have had a good week of training and they are available for the weekend,” Koeman said on Thursday.
“They started training last weekend. They have had the Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and today’s session, plus tomorrow. That is enough sessions to be available.”
Koeman hasn’t yet disclosed what kind of part the injury returnees will play.
Winger Jefferson Montero is available for Swansea after recovering from a hand injury.
Martin Atkinson is booked in to ref the important game. Talking about bookings, Atkinson loves to dole them out. He has brandished 48 yellows in the 12 games this season, an average of four per game. Somehow he managed to keep the cards in his pocket for Everton’s opening day draw against Tottenham. It was the only match he hasn’t shown a yellow card this season.
Next: Opposition scouting report: Swansea
Game Prediction
The form guide evinces a telling story. Two struggling teams battling for crucial Premier League points. Swansea will play with the kind of desperation relegation-threatened teams are renowned for. If Everton match the Swans desperation, which they should have no trouble doing in front of the Toffees faithful, they’ll win the match and keep their home unbeaten record intact.
Look for Lukaku and Yannick Bolasie to both score, while causing Swansea’s defense fits for the duration. Back the Toffees to triumph 2-0 and get back to winning ways.