Everton: 3 Key player battles for Everton vs Southampton

Southampton's Austrian manager Ralph Hasenhuttl (R) shakes hands with Everton's Italian head coach Carlo Ancelotti after the English Premier League football match between Southampton and Everton at St Mary's Stadium in Southampton, southern England, on October 25, 2020. (Photo by Andy Rain / POOL / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. / (Photo by ANDY RAIN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images) /

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Everton will be looking for their fifth home win in the league this season.

Everton run into a difficult task as they take on Southampton at Goodison Park on Monday; the Toffees will be looking to end their poor run of form at home, with their last league win at Goodison Park coming in December in the Toffees 2-1 win against Arsenal. This could be the perfect opportunity for Carlo Ancelotti’s side, coming against a Southampton team in extremely poor form, with the Saints winless in their last eight league games.

Southampton also are struggling with injuries going into the game, with Ralph Hasenhüttl’s side being without Liverpool loanee Takumi Minamino, Kyle Walker-Pieters and Oriol Romeu, two significant pieces to the Saints’ defensive structure and a player in Minamino who has proved in his short time at Southampton that he can handle the Premier League and can be a key contributor to a team.

Match Preview. Everton must sustain derby high against Saints. light

The Saints love to press; they made this evident in the last game, where they constantly pressed Everton and forced mistakes out of the Toffees, which led to a dominant 2-0 win for Southampton. Everton need to field a side that can handle the press, being able to play quick passes and finding the space, with a player like James Rodriguez being vital in Everton’s result due to his world-class passing and vision.

Here are three battles to watch out for in the game:

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