‘Absolutely vital’ – Michael Owen predicts result of Everton clash v Wolves
Everton need all the points they can get at Goodison Park between now and the end of the season, according to former England striker Michael Owen.
The Toffees were battered 5-0 on Monday night by Tottenham in a performance that Owen labelled as a ‘disaster’, which saw them stay in 17th place just one point above the relegation zone.
Frank Lampard’s side will be delighted to get back to Goodison Park where their form has been much better, but Owen told BetVictor that he expects a tight game against a good Wolves side and predicted a 0-0 draw on Sunday.
“The next couple of games are absolutely vital for Everton’s season,” he said.
“The performance against Spurs was a disaster. They’ve had so many issues away from home this season, they’ve still got the worst away record in the league. They’ll be relieved to be back at Goodison. If Everton are to stay up, they’ll need every point they can get at Goodison.
“Wolves strolled to the win over Norwich. It was one of their better performances and they could have won by more than four. Ruben Neves’ goal was brilliant, he only ever scores good goals.
“I don’t think this will be a thriller. Everton are desperate to get a positive result and will make this a tight game. I’m going for a 0-0 draw.”
Silver lining
A draw wouldn’t be the worst result in the world for the Toffees, especially against a side that are on the outskirts of a European place right now.
A clean sheet, which Owen has predicted, would certainly be seen as a step in the right direction and a positive for a defence that was labelled as being ‘Championship’ level by Jamie Carragher.
But realistically, they need wins if they want to dig themselves out of trouble. With fellow relegation candidates Leeds and Norwich playing each other, there is a chance depending on that result that they could fall further behind.
The best way of avoiding that is to make an attacking impact on the game and be positive, rather than allowing Wolves to control the game and put them under pressure.
The fans will be huge, but Lampard can’t rely on that because they play away from home too. But now is the perfect time to find the balance and get back on track.
In other Everton news, ‘Nervous’ – Micah Richards drops major Everton relegation view after what he saw