Mark Lawrenson predicts Everton v Brighton scoreline
Mark Lawrenson predicts Rafa Benitez’s unbeaten start to life at Everton to come to a crashing halt on Saturday in a 1-0 reversal to Brighton.
Everton travel to the south coast hoping to continue their bright start under Benitez following a 3-1 win against Southampton and a 2-2 draw at Leeds United.
They also triumphed in the League Cup on Tuesday as they edged out Huddersfield Town 2-1.
However, casting his weekly Premier League predictions on the BBC Sport website, ex-Liverpool defender Lawrenson thinks the Blues will suffer a bump in the road this week.
He said: “Brighton have made a really good start by winning both of their games so far and scoring more than one goal in both, which was the problem last season. You can’t keep doing that in the Premier League.
“Meanwhile, Everton are unbeaten and have been good too. I was really impressed by their showing against Southampton on the opening day and they matched Leeds for their work rate and pressure at Elland Road last Saturday.”
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This weekend marks the final round of fixtures before the first international break of the season, and thus it is Everton’s last game until September 13 when they host Burnley at Goodison Park.
Therefore, Benitez will surely be desperate to claim another three points to head into the break sitting among the top positions.
The Blues currently sit in seventh position, three places and two points behind Saturday’s opponents who have won both of their opening Premier League fixtures.
Despite the derision that greeted Benitez’s arrival at Goodison Park earlier this summer, the mood is fairly relaxed right now after a decent start to the season.
Supporters can see a bit of light at the end of the tunnel, but things can quickly change in football, and a defeat before two weeks without a game could alter perceptions.
An Everton win on Saturday would go a long way to winning over any remaining doubters.
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